BKiD IICO Workshop
28.06.2014
Constanze Bleichrodt
How to organize a sperm bank
HOW TO ORGANIZE
A SPERM BANK
Insight into the manifold and daily challenges of a German
semen bank
• What is our daily work?
• What people, issues, questions?
• What decision are to be taken?
• What quality, degree of transparency and
documentations do we guarantee?
⇒ How do we ensure daily that our work is satisfactory?
Our work is much more than fulfilling medical needs. It
concerns legal issues and a very refined quality management
– and a lot of psychology.
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
ABOUT ME
Constanze Bleichrodt
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Psychologist
Private practice
Managing director of Cryobank-München
Dr. Wolf Bleichrodt
• Gynaecologist, endocrinologist, practitioner of reproductive
medicine
• Founder of Cryobank München 1983
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
CRYOBANK-MÜNCHEN
Multi-professional Team
Psychologist, medical specialist for infertility, two
biologists, pharmacologist, medical-technical
assistant, office staff
Sperm Bank
Approved and supervised by the Government of Upper Bavaria
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
WHAT DOES A SPERM BANK
DO?
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
WHAT DOES A SPREM BANK
DO?
“New life“
Fulfilling the wish to have a child –
and to live with a child!
Emotions and feelings, hopes and wishes and many
very divergent expectations!
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
WHO ARE
OUR CLIENTS?
• Men donating for semen preservation
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Fertility preservation prior to cancer treatment, sex
realignment, prior to sterilisation, in case of professional
risks
• Couples experiencing infertility
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Infertile men and their partners
Lesbian and single women
• Sperm donors
• Personal donors
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Men who donate for specific women/couples
• Donor offspring
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
CHALLENGES
• Openness and understanding
• Developing your own attitude (also ethically
and morally)
• Transparency and information
• Things we offer, things we don´t offer
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No guarantee for a (healthy) child
No treatment of lesbian couple at the same time
No optimization by donor selection
• Develop and set our own standards
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
CHALLENGES
Responsibility concerning couple/child/donor
Gaining confidence
Information and counselling
Managing insufficient and out-of-date
legislation with gaps
• Long-term nature
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Documentation for more than 30 years
Informative right
Long-term storage of sperm for fertility
preservation
Long-term consequences of donation
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
APPLICATION OF DONORS
• Search via internet
Forum, internet pages for DI,
German Medical Association for DI
• Info on
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Procedure of becoming a donor
Legal situation
Precondition for becoming a donor
Financial compensation
(in itself insufficient motivation)
• Application online
-> provides first impression
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
WHO APPLIES?
• Mainly men between 25 and 35
• University entrance qualification / academics
• Good Types (maintained, reputable, reliable,
sympathetic, …)
• Mainly Germany, central European, not only
Bavarians 
• Often singles, but approx.1/3 have children of
their own
• Various motivations
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
FIRST VISIT
INCL. TEST DONATION
• General procedure, financial compensation
• First impression
• Contractual details, provision of legal
information
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Duties of a donor
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(regular donation, agreement to infection screening, bacterial screening,
genetic testing, anamnestic screening, duty to provide truthful and
accurate information about health status, control testing after 6-9 months,
information in case of death, information of partner, confidentiality...)
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Duties of Cryobank (payment, …)
Legal information
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(inheritance law, alimony, right of offspring to access information about the
identity of donors, right to withdraw from contract ...)
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
FIRST VISIT
INCL. TEST DONATION
• Completion of donor sheet
Personal data, ethnic origin, hair colour, eye colour, size, weight, blood
group, training, profession, hobbies and strengths, interests, specific
qualities, motivation, donor of other sperm bank
• Medical interview, anamnestic interview
General health status, no risk group, diseases, medication, genetic
diseases, diseases in family, history of vaccinations, travels abroad,
information on parents
Willingness to agree to genetic testing
• Test donation
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
EXAMINATION OF TEST
DONATION
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Spermiogramme
Examination
Freezing
Thawing quality
Anamnestic examination
Overall impression (of various medical assistants)
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Age, blood group, visual impression, sympathy, professional training
and current employment, reliability , commitment, motivation, own
children/partner
Only every 8th men is suitable as a donor
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
2ND AND 3RD VISIT
• Test sample with results
• „Psychological“ consultation
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Motivation/reason for donating
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Passing on genes
confrontation with infertility of friends/family members
Altruistic attitude/help
Free test of fertility
Managing „no knowledge“ of possible offspring
Info about intended parents and DI-offspring and families
Managing the fact of being donor
Agreement of partner
Right of offspring to access identifying information and possible
contact
Answering questions
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
2ND AND 3RD VISIT
• Signing the contract
• 1. Serology
– Infection screening (blood group, RH-group, CMV, HIV,
hepatitis, syphilis, gonokokkal infection, chlamydia)
– Urine sample
– Bacteriology
– Genetic screening (karyogramme, mucoviscidosis)
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
DONOR CYCLE
Donors visits sperm bank 10 – 15 times,
depending on sperm quality, blood group,
impression, sympathy, reliability ...
2. SEROLOGY
180 days after last test sample!
 Semen can be used for treatment!
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
THE INTENDED PARENTS
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First consultation (medical, psychosocial)
Anamnesis, history of infertility
„feelings/thoughts/management of DI“, psychosocial
„pre-conditions“ for DI
Epigenetics
Selection of donor (general and specific)
Contractual documents
Treatment procedure, costs
Talking to children, book for children
How do other DI-families fare?
How do DI-children fare?
Answering questions
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
DONOR SELECTIN
FOR THE COUPLE
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Getting to know them personally
Data sheet
Photo
Looks of the husband/Co-mother/
Single woman
Hobbies, talents , strengths
Educational background
Individual comments/wishes
Donor for mother and co-mother
Sibling
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
„OUR“
PROCEDURE
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Blood group of the couple
CMV-status of the female partner
Phenotype of male partner, skin colour
Size of the male partner
Hair colour of the male partner
Eye colour of the male partner
Facial features
Talents of the male partner
Other wishes
(wish for more siblings from the same donor, co-mother wants child of the
same donor, academic background, „no hair loss“, specific, religious
affiliation, specific professional background, …)
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
„OUR“ PROCEDURE
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Personal meeting of intended parents/CBM
No selection from several profiles
Feedback only upon request
No donor types according to
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Sperm quality, good looks, academic achievement, IQ, look-alikes
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No sample of hand-written text, statements, …
Not contact to donor prior to offspring reaching 18 yrs.
No „perfectioning/compensation“ of individual flaws,
“optimization of results“
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Change of donor possible
Reservation for siblings possible
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
PROVIDING IDENTIFYING
INFORMATION
Case law – doctors are forced to provide
identifying information on donor
Challenges:
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Data used to be destroyed after 10 years
Donors were assured anonymity – personal data was not
documented
Logistical challenge, recording data for 30 years and longer
Feedback with gaps
Looking for public notary
So far, few requests by offspring – personal
statement!
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
CONTACT DONOR-OFFSPRING
Possible procedure:
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Data at CBM and at notary public/website
Request of offspring incl. important documents
Informing the donor
Contact on neutral grounds
Donors are curious, too
No contact planned prior to offspring being 18
yrs old. (exception: illness)
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
PERSONAL DONOR
Special challenges for counselling
esp. psychological, legal and health issues
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Donor is biological father and has all legal rights and duties
There may be later role confusion
Medical, infection screening may be problematic
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK
Thank your for your attention!
BKID IICO 2014 - HOW TO ORGANIZE A SPERM BANK