Sperm or egg donation
In some cases, sperm or egg donation is necessary in order to fulfill a couple’s wish for a child.
The emergence of new life is a small miracle and associated with a lot of responsibility.
We invest a lot of time and diligence in the selection of suitable donors.
The emergence of new life is a small miracle and associated with a lot of responsibility.
We invest a lot of time and diligence in the selection of suitable donors.
- No formation of sperm cells in the testicles (e.g. congenital reasons, malignant illness or chemotherapy/radiation)
- The age-related function of the ovaries or the ovarian reserve is already limited
- Both ovaries were removed prematurely (e.g. due to a malignant illness)
Egg donation:
Egg donation has been made legal in Austria since February 2015 – however, regrettably only with severe restrictions. This means a donation is only allowed under the following premises:
For treatment with egg donation in Austria the recipient of the donation is not allowed to be older than 45 years of age and one of the above-mentioned medical reasons has to be existent. The donor can not be older than 30 years of age and an expense allowance cannot be paid other than direct cash expenditure e.g. for train tickets or cab bills. Due to these restrictions we have not been able to establish a donor bank. However, if you can bring a donor (e.g. a friend, relative) we can conduct an egg donation treatment. In all other cases a treatment is possible in our partner institute UNICA in Brno (Czech Republic) where they have been conducting egg donation treatments routinely for years. For the regulation of parenthood, a notary deed is needed for all treatments using egg cells of a third person. Every child conceived using donation treatments can request information on the identity of the donor from their 14th year of life.
Sperm donation:
Heterosexual and lesbian couples can use donor sperm in Austria for insemination as well as in-vitro fertilisation.
For the regulation of parenthood, a notary deed is needed for all treatments using sperm cells of a third person. Every child conceived using donation treatments can request information on the identity of the donor from their 14th year of life.
Sperm donation is often the final resort for childless couples to achieve pregnancy. Donating sperm is a responsible and serious issue which requires reliability and earnestness. Please take the time to inform yourself and reflect on your reasons for an application as sperm donor.
Prerequisites for sperm donation:
- Between 18 and 35 years old
- Finished or ongoing education
- No infectious diseases
- No genetic diseases in the family
- Not active in any other sperm donation programme (worldwide)
According to the Austrian Reproductive Act we cannot pay for sperm donations. In case of successful application, we can offer you an expense allowance of up to €1000.
Of course, you can bring an acquaintance or friend to be your desired sperm donor. This donor will only be used for your treatments which means you have to pay all the costs of the diagnostic evaluation.
From 35 years of age the extent of DNA damage in sperm cells increases so we ask you to please consider this in your choice of sperm donor. This damage can lead to reduced fertility and a higher rate of miscarriage. For this reason, we recommend an age limit of 35 years for sperm donors.
An egg donation is often the final resort for childless couples to achieve pregnancy. Donating oocytes is a responsible and serious issue, which requires reliability and earnestness. Please take the time to inform yourself and reflect on your reasons for an application as egg donor. The law in Austria prohibits the mediation of oocytes to recipients by a fertility institute, which is why we do not accept donors. However, if you are already in contact with a potential recipient and would like to come to a consultation together with this recipient then we can conduct a treatment with egg donation.
Prerequisites for an acquaintance donation:
- Between 18 and 29 years old
- No infections diseases
- No fertility issues (normal egg reserve levels existing and confirmed)
- You are already in contact with the recipient of your oocytes
According to Austrian law, every child conceived using donation treatments can request information on the identity of the donor from their 14th year of life. For the regulation of parenthood, a notary deed is needed for all treatments using sperm cells of a third person. This means that the donor has no rights or obligations towards the future child.
We recommend that all our donors as well as the involved couple undergo psychotherapeutic counselling with our psychotherapist. This allows to reflect on the scope of the donation and to think through possible consequences or future situations together
Treatments for single women in Austria are sadly prohibited according to the Reproductive Medicine Act. However, please do not lose hope. Through our cooperation with a European partner institute, it is possible to fulfill your wish for a child.
In very rare cases, a couple’s wish for a child can only be fulfilled if embryos are donated. In such cases, we speak of adoption before pregnancy has taken place. Many times, the embryos originate from other couples in fertility institutes whose treatments were successful and who are willing to donate their embryos.
According to the Reproductive Medicine Act, embryo donation is illegal in Austria.