Sperm and Egg Bank: becoming a sperm or egg donor

If you wish to donate eggs, you can contact us by e-mail at sukusolupankki@hus.fi or by phone at 09 471 72607 (Mon to Fri 07.30–15.30).

When you send us a contact request, we will send you an info package about the donation process and the relevant legislation along with a health information form.

At the investigation stage of the donation process, you will first talk to a nurse on the phone. The nurse will go through the medical and legal issues involved in donating gametes with you. The nurse will interview you about matters related to your general health, gynecological diseases, lifestyle habits and any diseases in your family. The nurse will also talk to you about your motives in wishing to donate eggs.

Before the treatments begin, you need to have a blood test taken at an HUS laboratory. The purpose of the blood tests is to rule out things like HIV and hepatitis infections. Your AMH will also be measured.

You will then have a physician’s appointment for a checkup and a gynecological examination, with samples taken for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. If no obstacles are found in your health assessment, a psychologist’s appointment will be booked for you.

The purpose of the psychologist’s appointment is to discuss your thoughts and feelings about donating eggs and psychological factors to be considered in the future, including information on the significance of the origin of donated gametes to the child and to the recipient family.

The purpose of chromosome testing is to ensure that you do not have any chromosomal abnormalities that would affect the treatment. This test is performed on a blood sample taken at an HUS laboratory.

If there are no obstacles to donation and you still wish to become a donor, a donation consent will be drawn up. The treatment timetable will be planned so as to be as convenient as possible for you. You will sign the donation consent at the appointment.

You will also receive the prescriptions you need for medications for the donation treatment and instructions in how to inject them yourself.

Before beginning egg donation treatment, you must visit a HUS laboratory for infection testing.

Egg donation treatment involves growing your ovarian follicles with injections that you administer yourself over a period of about 10 days. We monitor how your ovaries respond to the treatment with 1 or 2 ultrasound examinations.

An ultrasound guided needle is used to extract eggs from each ovary follicle through the vagina to a test tube. You will be given an effective sedative and painkiller for this procedure. The procedure takes about 5 to 10 minutes. You will be given sick leave for the day of the procedure and the following day.

Your first period after the egg harvesting will begin 7 to 10 days later. Your follow-up appointment at the Reproductive Medicine Unit will be 3 to 4 weeks after the harvesting. We will do an ultrasound examination to ensure that your ovaries have resumed normal function. We will also talk about the donation experience with you and answer any questions you might have.

Your expenses during the treatment will be reimbursed; you will fill in the reimbursement application form at this appointment.

The time from first contact to follow-up appointment is about four months.

If you wish to donate sperm, you can contact us by e-mail at sukusolupankki@hus.fi or by phone at 09 471 72606 (Mon to Fri 07.30–15.30).

When you send us a contact request, we will send you an info package about the donation process and the relevant legislation along with a health information form.

If you wish to proceed with the donation process, you will be asked to book a time for test freezing.

Before donation, you will need to give a semen sample on which a sperm analysis and test freezing will be performed.

If the sperm analysis and test freezing results fulfil the donation criteria, you will be phoned by a nurse who will book you a physician’s appointment.

Before the treatments begin, you need to have a blood test taken at an HUS laboratory. The purpose of the blood tests is to rule out things like HIV and hepatitis infections.

At the appointment, the medical and legal issues involved in donating gametes will be reviewed with you. For instance, we will talk about your health and the health of your immediate family members and explain in which scenarios the donated sperm are likely to be needed. You can also ask us any questions you may have about the donation process. You will sign a health information sign at this appointment.

The purpose of the psychologist’s appointment is to discuss your thoughts and feelings about donating gametes and psychological factors to be considered in the future, including information on the significance of the origin of donated gametes to the child and to the recipient family.

The purpose of chromosome testing is to ensure that you do not have any chromosomal abnormalities that would affect the treatment. This test is performed on a blood sample taken at an HUS laboratory.

You will sign a donation consent on your first donation visit.

There must be at least one and preferably two or three donation visits per week. The aim is for all donated sperm to be collected within a period as short as possible, no more than three months. Your infection samples must be re-examined if the three-month limit is exceeded. Generally, there are about 10 donation visits. Your expenses related to the donation will be reimbursed; you will fill in the reimbursement application form on the last visit.

The time period from first contact to last donation is about six months.

If you wish to donate embryos, you can contact us by e-mail at sukusolupankki@hus.fi or by phone at 09 471 72607 (Mon to Fri 07.30–15.30).

As prospective donors, you will be informed of the medical and legal issues involved, and your motives and feelings concerning donation will be discussed.

If you as a couple wish to donate your own, frozen embryos and the donation criteria are fulfilled, you will first be booked a phone appointment with a nurse. If the nurse’s interview reveals no obstacles to embryo donation, you will be booked an appointment for donation counselling with a psychologist.

If you wish to proceed with embryo donation, you will be booked a joint appointment as a couple with a physician to discuss the matter.

Both of you must fill out a health information form explaining your current health and any hereditary diseases that there may be in your family.

You will both be given a lab referral at this appointment.

Your blood samples will be tested for infections as per the Act on the Medical Use of Human Organs and Tissues (HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C antibodies) and chromosome tests.

If there are no obstacles to donation and you still wish to become donors, a donation consent will be drawn up.