Screening of Sperm donors

Sperm Donor: Selected According to the Highest Standards

At our sperm bank a potential sperm donor is rigorously screened to meet the highest regulatory standards from the Danish Health Authority, the Danish Patient Safety Authority, and the EU Tissues and Cells Directive. 



Our experienced team of health professionals, specialists, and lab technicians also apply our own rigorous selection criteria, screening for health, sperm quality, physique, and character. Only 3% of donor applicants make it through our screening process - ensuring you have exceptional sperm to choose from.   

Read on for a detailed look at some of the tests and evaluations we run.

In the initial evaluation to become a sperm donor, we ensure these factors are met:  



• Donors are aged between 18 - 45
• Donors complete an application and preliminary interview to assess their personality and talents
• Criminal record check
• Sperm quality - count, volume, motility, viability, and normality
• General health, possible risk factors, and family medical history

Potential donors must also consent to the following to proceed:

• A comprehensive medical questionnaire and several in-person interviews designed to get to know the donor and exclude applicants with infectious diseases, hereditary illnesses or other risk factors. 
• Consent to ID-release 
• Consent that as a donor, they have no parental rights to a donor child or any legal responsibilities for a donor child. 
  

As a next step, we request blood and urine samples to screen for the following infectious diseases:  

• HIV

• Hepatitis B Surface Antigen

• Hepatitis B Core Antibody

• Hepatitis C Viral Antibody

• CMV IgG/IgM

• Syphilis

• Gonorrhoea

• Chlamydia

Medical and Genetic Evaluation

Our physicians will then review the applicant’s family medical history and also screen for the following: 

• Blood group and Rhesus status

• Hemoglobin electrophoresis

• Genetic screening for carrier status of the most common recessive diseases, including Thalassemia and Sickle-cell anaemia, Chromosome analysis, Cystic fibrosis, and Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)



This evaluation includes a thorough physical examination by a doctor and an assessment by a specialist in clinical genetics. 

Ongoing Screening to Ensure Healthy Donors

Even after we accept a donor, all donor specimens are quarantined and the donor retested for HIV, (HTLV-I & II), Hepatitis B Surface Antigen, Hepatitis B Core Antibody, Hepatitis C Viral Antibody, Syphilis, CMV IgG/IgM, Gonorrhea and Chlamydia before the donated sperm is made available for use.

Once an applicant is accepted into our donor program, we reassess their health status on a regular basis. Active donors are physically examined once a year and tested for infectious diseases every 2-3 months. 



Before every donation, donors complete a questionnaire about risk behaviours and risk factors. 

Screening of Sperm donors: What screening Can - And Can’t – Do

As sperm is a biological material, we cannot completely rule out the risk of transmitting a hereditary or infectious disease. However, our extensive screening and testing according to the highest clinical standards greatly reduces this risk.