All Scottish NHS Assisted Conception Units have nurses in dedicated donor coordinator roles, which has improved donor recruitment, reduced waiting times and improved the journey for people accessing treatment using donated gametes.
Donor recruitment in our unit is nurse led, with myself and my colleague responsible for recruiting donors. The process is similar whether donating eggs or sperm and for altruistic or known donors.
In Scotland, resources featuring the words love, hope and joy, sharing positive messages about the life changing potential of egg and sperm donation are used locally and nationally in the press, social media and radio. Some donors have had fertility treatment themselves or friends who have. People interested in donating are sent information for prospective egg or sperm donors, explaining why donors are needed, eligibility requirements, what donating involves, including the necessary appointments, screening, consent, legal information. Donors in Scotland don't receive expenses, unlike other areas of the UK.
Donor profile and health questionnaires are reviewed to ensure eligibility to donate based on age, BMI, previous donations, smoking status and health. Potential donors provide detailed medical information about themselves, their siblings, any children, both parents and all four biological grandparents. Without all this information, they can't be considered for altruistic donation as the family medical history is primarily how we screen for hereditary conditions.
Semen assessment or anti mullerian hormone (AMH) levels are checked to ensure they meet the required parameters.
The potential donors next appointment will be in our clinic, during this consultation we:
- Confirm the identity of the potential donor and check any HFEA and clinic forms.
- Review medical & family history.
- Ensure donors are fully informed about the process and potential implications by discussing: appointments; realistic timescales to complete the process; screening requirements before, during and post storage of samples; the UK 10 family limit and their preferences; potential types of recipients and the donor selection process; the need to register donors, treatment cycles & outcomes with the HFEA; what information recipients and donor conceived children can find out about donors & when; what information donors can receive about outcomes.
- Extended blood borne virus (BBV) and sexual health (STI) screening.
- Genetic testing for karyotype & cystic fibrosis.
- Egg donors have pelvic assessment by trans-vaginal ultrasound, an explanation of their AMH result and are given information about the treatment cycle.
- Sperm donors have a genital examination and information about the frequency & number of appointments for donation and rescreening requirements.
All donors are required to attend a minimum of one appointment with the fertility counsellor to complete implications counselling, known donors also have joint implications counselling with recipient(s).
Donor coordinators are the main contact for donors, arranging appointments, assessing BBV or STI risks, ensuring screening is in date, recording results and arranging post quarantine screening.
Non-identifying and full donor profiles are created from information provided on HFEA donor information forms and the donor is registered on the HFEA data submission system (PRISM). The donor coordinator reviews all notes, consent forms and results with a senior embryologist and lead clinician to allow the donor sperm, or embryos created with fresh donor eggs, to be released from quarantine and available for use.
We also manage the waiting list for treatment with donor gametes, coordinate investigations and appointments for recipients, offer egg donors, facilitate sperm donor selection and along with an embryologist, allocate 'family-slots and samples for a selected donor to recipients. We are involved with treatment cycles, recording treatments and outcomes on PRISM and ensuring donor records are up to date to audit the outcomes. We are increasingly involved with 'open the register requests, confirming information with the HFEA for donors and donor conceived adults seeking information.
It's a real privilege to guide donors through this process and support recipients through their journey. Recently, for the first time, I scanned a patient in early pregnancy following successful treatment using the sperm of an altruistic donor who I’d recruited. Seeing this come full circle, showed the value and importance of the work of a donor coordinator. Collaborative working with other Scottish NHS donor coordinators has helped us to develop our service, share learning and experience and to provide consistent quality of care for donors and recipients across Scotland.
If you would be interested in donating eggs or sperm (or know someone who is) you can find information about donating on the .
