SPERM BANK
The sperm bank is an integrated service in our reproduction clinic, that conserves frozen semen at low temperatures ( -196 ºC) in liquid Nitrogen so that it could be used at the right moment.
The anonymous sperm donation samples, those that are used in assisted reproduction in the cases that require donor sperm, are kept frozen in our bank. Also, the samples of our clinic’s patients are cryopreserved in order to benefit from the advantages of a frozen sample.

SPERM DONORS
The use of sperm donors and the sperm bank has made many pregnancies and offspring possible for many couples.
The Assisted Reproduction Law 35/88 regulates the actions of the Sperm Banks and specifies the requirements that are needed in accepting donors and the functions of the bank.

Selection of sperm donors:
In order to choose adequate men to be sperm donors, they go through a thorough exam that includes:
- Personal interview and complete medical and family history.
- Sperm analysis.
-Freezing sperm test.
- Complete analysis.
- Karyotype.
- Andrological physical exploration.
- Fragmentation of the sperm’s DNA.
- P.C.R of chlamydia.
- DNA bank.
The donors are young men, in good mental and physical states of health, and have passed all tests.
As requires the Assisted Reproduction Law, the donation is completely anonymous, as much for the donor as for the couple that requires the Sperm Bank. Only the donor’s blood type and physical characteristics (eye color, hair color and texture, skin color, height and weight) can be known by the receiving couple.

PATIENTS
There are different reasons why patients that come to the clinic will need to freeze semen samples.
In IOM – Fertilab, for the couples that submit cycles of In Vitro Fertilisation, we recommend frozen semen samples in order to prevent any problems that could arise and ruin the possibility of obtaining a fresh sample the day of the fertilisation process.
Also, samples of very low quality can be frozen or of patients that have had testicular biopsies or epididymal sperm aspiration.
On the other hand, in order to cryopreserve samples for an indefinite amount of time without any damages, we freeze a sample of those patients with pathologies that can cause sterilisation (for example those that must have radiology or chemotherapy), in order to assure the possibility of having offspring once they have overcome the illness.
Also, frozen samples are needed from patients that decide to have vasectomies, but that may consider the possibility to have children in the future without needing the vasovasectomy.
Until the moment they decide to use the sample, the Sperm Bank is responsible for its preservation. The sample is kept under maximum security and confidentiality conditions.
In order to throw away or destroy the samples, the consent informed in writing is required.