IVF with Sperm Donation

Using a Sperm Donor in Your IVF Treatment

IVF with sperm donation is an assisted reproductive technique where a woman’s eggs are fertilized with sperm from a donor rather than from her partner. This method is commonly used when male infertility issues exist or when a woman is attempting to conceive without a male partner.

Step-by-step IVF with Donor Sperm

1 - Consultation

Your journey begins with a consultation with one of our fertility experts, where we’ll discuss your goals, assess your fertility status, and create a customised plan.

2 - Selecting the Sperm Donor

After our doctor examines your tests and confirms the treatment option with you, we will ask you to fill out a Donor Recipient form to start searching for the best donor candidates for you. For donor sperm, we are working with Europen Sperm Bank and Cyros International. So once we get information about your physical characteristics and blood type, we will check for and send you the most suitable donor options so you can choose one. Our team will give you detailed information about the process.

3 - Ovarian stimulation phase

• Once we pass this stage and have a clear profile of your status and medical history, our fertility specialist will prepare your medication protocol.
• You'll start your ovarian stimulation phase from the 2nd day of your menstrual cycle and continue for approximately 10-14 days. During this phase, you'll take stimulation medicines and injections from our medical team with multiple ultrasound checkups to monitor your ovaries’ progress.
• Once our doctor confirms the follicles have reached the targeted size, the stimulation phase ends, and you are prepared for egg retrieval procedure. We will inform you about the exact timing of the trigger injection to help release the eggs.

4 - Egg Retrieval

• When the eggs are mature, the stimulation phase ends, and you undergo the egg retrieval procedure.
• The egg retrieval (OPU) procedure is performed using sedation (anaesthesia) at our hospital, which takes approximately 15-20 mins.
• After the egg retrieval procedure, you will be informed about the number and quality of eggs collected.

5 - Fertilization

Our embryologists fertilize the collected eggs with donor’s sperm. We use the ICSI method for the fertilisation procedure, injecting the selected sperm directly into the egg.

6 - Embryo cultivation until blastocyst stage (5th day)

After fertilization, the embryos will be kept in a particular culture medium in the laboratory for five days. Following embryo creation, the embryo divides and multiplies its cells over 5 to 6 days to become a blastocyst. (A healthy embryo will contain about 6 to 10 cells three days after fertilization. By the fifth or sixth day, the fertilized egg is known as a blastocyst — a rapidly dividing ball of cells) The embryo’s quality depends on the quality of the sperm and the eggs. Embryo cultivation until the blastocyst stage allows us to select the highest quality embryos with the highest potential to develop further. Embryos that survive this stage of development have a high implantation potential once transferred into the uterine cavity.

7 - Embryo Transfer

The highest-quality embryos are selected and transferred into the uterus at the end of the laboratory process. The number of embryos to be transferred is decided by our doctor with you, considering your age, general health, previous unsuccessful IVF attempts and the quality of the embryos. (If more than one embryo is transferred, the possibility of multiple pregnancies increases.) Based on the regulation in North Cyprus, we are allowed to transfer a maximum of three embryos at one transfer.

8 - Embryo Freezing

After one or two healthy embryos are transferred into the uterus, the remaining embryos are frozen for future use on the same day of embryo transfer.

In this way, your IVF cycle is completed. You will perform a pregnancy blood test after 12 days after the embryo transfer date and let us know the result.

Who Might Consider IVF with Sperm Donor?

IVF with Sperm Donation may be considered by,

• Couples facing male infertility issues, such as low sperm count or poor sperm quality.
• Single women who wish to become mothers.
• Same-sex female couples who want to share the experience of biological parenthood.
• If there is a high risk of passing on a genetic abnormality or condition on the male side.

About Donor Privacy and Confidentiality

We work with the European Sperm Bank and Cyros International to obtain sperms. All donors undergo comprehensive health screenings and genetic testing to ensure the highest level of safety by the sperm banks. Donor’s characteristic information is available on Sperm Bank’s website.

IVF with Sperm Donation can open new doors to parenthood, and we are here to guide you every step of the way. At our hospital, our commitment is to provide you with the highest standard of care, respect your choices, and help you achieve your goal of building a loving family.