SINGLE WOMEN

In accordance with Spanish law, any woman has the right to request assisted reproduction treatment, whether she has a partner or not. Women without a partner who wish to have a child may, therefore, resort to a sperm sample provided by a donor for the purpose of bringing about a pregnancy.

The characteristics which donors should meet are regulated by law. First of all, the sperm sample donated must meet certain quality levels which are even higher than those used for other types of sample. The men must be of age and their personal and family history must be checked to ensure that they do not have, nor ever have had, any infectious disease of any kind. They must also undergo a series of tests, also laid down by law, to ensure that they have no pathological condition which contraindicates the donation. Furthermore, a sample of semen will not be valid until the donor repeats these tests six months later. Only if these tests still produce normal results will the sample be approved for use in donation.

It is important to point out that the donation of sperm in Spain must be anonymous. This means that neither the donor may know any information regarding the woman who is to receive the donation, nor may the woman know any information concerning the donor. Equally, the donation must be altruistic, although financial compensation is allowed for inconveniences which may arise.

The criteria used to select the ideal donor for each case are, first of all, the blood group and the Rh factor. In addition to this, certain specific physical characteristics are taken into consideration in the interests of achieving as great a physical similarity between the parents and the children as possible.

Finally, it should also be pointed out that there is a limit for donors of six pregnancies laid down by the law. If a donor produces six pregnancies, he will not be allowed to continue donating semen.

However, for each case it will have to be decided which the most effective assisted reproduction technique will be. To do this, each woman who comes to us will have to go through a preliminary assessment fitted to her needs. In many cases the type of treatment will be simple artificial insemination without the necessity for any prior treatment.

We hope that we have cleared up any of your possible doubts. However, if you have any other doubt or query, please do not hesitate to contact any of our centres.