# reserving donor sperm for future donor egg siblings?



## cherrycherry (Sep 25, 2008)

hi and hugs to everyone here -

I am just about to finalise my decisions about where to go etc for double donation, and I plan to use the European Sperm Bank  - I'd like to reserve sperm so if I am lucky enough to have a child, at a later date I could maybe try for a sibling using donor egg but the same sperm, so that my children would be genetic half siblings.  However, I wonder if this would be allowed by the ESB for two reasons - 1) they say they only allow reservation of sperm for "full" siblings (definition?), and I've read that in Denmark, where that sperm bank is based, double donations aren't allowed and b), I am now 44, so would be somewhere in my late 40s if I would be trying for a sibling, and I wonder if the ESB have an age limit for women who buy their sperm.

Just wondering if anyone knows the answer to my questions, and if anyone has done this.

blessings to all, Cherry


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## suitcase of dreams (Oct 7, 2007)

Hi there,

So sorry to hear about your mmc    

I can't say for sure, but I don't think there is an age limit imposed by sperm banks - I have used ESB and I'm pretty sure I didn't have to give my date of birth when purchasing so they would not have known my age....

re double donation not being allowed in Denmark, I would imagine that is irrelevant if you are not having tx in Denmark anyway - and presumably they would not even know you were having double donation as again I don't think there is anywhere on the purchasing forms where you have to specify this - just whether IUI or IVF...

Assuming you plan to stay with the same clinic for your tx, would it not make more sense just to buy additional sperm now and store it at the clinic, rather than 'reserving' it at the sperm bank? I appreciate this means a slightly higher initial outlay, and potentially also a small sum to store it at the clinic but then you would know the sperm was there for you as and when you wanted to use it. And you would avoid having 2 lots of shipping fees as well which may well outweigh the cost of the additional vials anyway? Worth thinking about at least....

Incidentally you may also find that the clinic is able to get the same egg donor to donate again in which case the children would be full siblings anyway (I have a friend who did this in Spain - she had donor eggs with husband's sperm as she had premature menopause - and both times they used the same egg donor, Reprofit have also done this for at least one couple I believe - although of course it does depend on the donor's willingness/ability to donate again)

Very best of luck with it all,
Suitcase
x


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## cherrycherry (Sep 25, 2008)

thanks so much for your reply, and for the hugs Suitcase.  Congratulations on your pregnancy! I do hope it's going well! 

I have an instinct that things are as you say with the ESB - certainly I wasn't asked any personal details by them when I used them last year, (I had an excellent service from them, btw), but I am anxious about possible questioning if I use their reserving sperm option.
I can see what you mean about possibly using the same egg donor, and also perhaps it may be possible to use frozen embryos from a previously successful TEX for a genetic full sibling, supposing the clinic allows that, and both these possibilities are things I'm going to look into.  However, for a start both these possibilities seem to be a riskier option for getting a sibling with some genetic connection to my child,  than reserving sperm would, as, while sperm can be reserved indefinitely at the ESB, (they give no cut-off point), after two or three years have gone by, I can imagine my egg donor may well have left the programme, while, frozen embryos would be more likely to be needed again by me for a first child due to a failed 1st TEX, to not survive thawing, (though I know the odds re that aren't dramatically bad), or/and to be few in number in the first place, (as I believe they tend to be in South Africa, where I plan to go), and what happens if these all happen, and my first sperm donor isn't still available after all that? 

Regarding asking a clinic to store some sperm for me, I don't feel I can do that because I don't think I can know for sure which clinic I will be using if I'm lucky enough to try for a sibling.  I know I want to use a South African clinic for my next attempt to get pregnant, and, at this stage would like to think I could return there for "sibling treatment" if necessary, but, with the forcast for the economic climate being the way it is, and having parents who are very elderly, and so not unlikely to fall ill and cause, (unresented), expense in that way in the next few years, I can imagine that I might well not be able to afford treatment at somewhere as expensive as SA in a few years time.  Whereas, at least at the moment there are much cheaper clinics elsewhere in the world, (India?), which wouldn't be my first choice, but if needs must, for a sibling I could perhaps go to one of those, and have the same sperm shipped over, for considerably less cost than the cost of again having double donation at a South African clinic even with the sperm already at the clinic.  (Or, possibly even sibling embryos treatment at that SA clinic - I'm not sure on that one yet).  Of course, if I knew for sure which clinic I'd go to for a sibling, I could maybe still ask them to store sperm for me and perhaps they would, and that could still work out cheaper than shipping at a later date also, but with basically feeling like I need to keep my options open, I don't feel I can do that.

Of course, I'd be immeasurably blessed to get even one baby, let alone a sibling for it - but I'm just trying to prepare the best for all possibilities. 

Perhaps I will just have to hope that the ESB don't ask any questions.  I will also look into whether you have the option of "selling" sperm they've reserved for you, back to them.

all the best blessings, and feeling deep for you,

Cherry


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