Sperm Donors’ Identity Disclosure: Is It REALLY Crucial? For Whom?

OBJECTIVE:To study the preference of sperm donors with identity disclosure (ID) vs. anonymous donors (AD) and to understand if this selection affects clinical outcomes in an Israeli population. METHODS:This retrospective study included patients who chose imported sperm donation during 2017-2021. Of these, 526 used own (autologous) oocytes and 43 patients used donated oocytes. The primary endpoint was the type of chosen donor with ID vs. AD. We examined the tendency towards ID according to demographic parameters and the theoretical impact of donor type selection on reproductive outcome and compared patients who performed cycles with autologous oocytes with those using donated oocytes (DO). RESULTS:Single women had a significantly higher probability of choosing sperm donors with ID than heterosexual couples (55.6% vs 33.3%, OR 2.5, CI 95% 1.52-4.11, p<0.001). Although no significant, same-sex couples were more likely to choose sperm donors with ID than heterosexual couples (49.1% vs 33.3%, OR 1.93, CI 95% 0.97-3.85, p=0.06). Sperm donor samples, 2501 vials, were imported. It was performed 698 IUI and 812 IVF cycles were performed, respectively, resulting in 283 pregnancies without differences between patients who chose sperm donors with ID vs. AD sperm. No significant differences were observed regarding the option for sperm donors with ID between patients using DO (44.2%) and those using autologous oocytes (51.3%). CONCLUSION:While ID is important for certain section (mainly single) of recipients, it is far from the only dominant factor during donor selection. Sperm donation type does not impact clinical outcomes.