News clipping from The Advertiser of July 1, 2011
Australia’s newest IVF clinic, City Fertility Centre in Western Hospital, Henley Beach, opened last month with 10 potential sperm donors. Some established clinics last year had as few as two.
Donors are not paid, but each can create up to 10 babies, meaning the clinic potentially may help 100 families.
City Fertility Centre Doctor said new laws had made some men hesitant to sign up.
“It has been hard to get donors, mainly due to the legislation,” he said. “Donors must identify themselves to the offspring – not necessarily as the father, but as a donor.”
Dr Stankiewicz said young men now understood sperm donation was a way of sharing.
“We are getting applications from young, educated men aged in their early 20s to their mid-30s,” he said. “We are moving away from stereotypes. It shows society has become more accepting of other ways to help people.”
That comes as new statistics show IVF treatments are declining. Medicare data shows that in the first three months of this year, 611 full IVF cycles were completed, compared with 690 last year.
Vanessa and Danny went through IVF with Dr Stankiewicz, giving birth to Emily.
“I was starting to think it wasn’t going to happen,” Vanessa said.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/adelaide-our-city-of-sperm-donors/story-e6frea6u-1226085972534
