Workup
Before you come to us for pre-treatment, you need a workup where a doctor examines and assesses the prerequisites for treatment. A consultation with a behavioral scientist is also required in Sweden for donation treatment.
The procedure is carried out with us at Nordic IVF in Solna Strand and Stockholm IVF in Hammarby Sjöstad, as well as in Gothenburg and Malmö at our affiliate partners Göteborgs Kvinnoklinik and Limhamns Kvinnoklinik.
What do double donation & embryo donation mean?
For couples or women who do not have their own eggs or sperm that can be used for treatment, double donation and embryo donation are options. The difference between the two techniques is that with double donation, embryos are created with the eggs and sperm of two donors, whereas with embryo donation, a couple has decided to donate an embryo that is stored in a freezer.
How does it happen?
A reproductive workup is performed prior to treatment, and this is supplemented by a psychosocial consultation with a behavioral scientist. All patients who will receive treatment using donated gametes must do this. One discusses their living situation, their perspective on parenthood, and the significance of telling their future child that it was created through gamete donation.
When the workup is complete, you meet an IVF doctor who plans the treatment and chooses the donor(s).
A fertilized egg, also known as an embryo, is implanted at a time in the menstrual cycle when the uterine lining is receptive for an embryo to attach and implant. The insertion of the embryo is performed by introducing a thin tube into the uterus. The woman can take a pregnancy test after about 3 weeks to see if the treatment was successful.
What is the legal ruling?
What is legal with regard to assisted reproduction is governed by the Genetic Integrity Act. Knowing the law is crucial for those who will receive treatment using donated gametes. The doctor is required to determine whether treatment is acceptable and whether it can be assumed that the future child will grow up in a healthy environment while taking into consideration the patient’s physical, psychological, and social factors. In every donation process, a psychosocial evaluation by a behavioral scientist is required by law. If, after the investigation, the patient is refused treatment, the decision can be appealed to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen).
All children have the legal right to learn about their parents, and when donated gametes are used to generate children, those children also have the legal right to learn more about the identity of the donor. The donor’s information is kept on file for 70 years. The parents, however, have no right to know this information.
The law states that the donor’s traits cannot be chosen by the patient. When the treatment is planned, the doctor decides which donor will be considered for insemination. In a couple, the donor’s eye color, hair color, skin color, and body constitution are matched with those of the prospective parent, who will not carry the child during pregnancy. The child will thus receive traits from both of their parents. The treatment requires the written approval of the parent who will not be carrying the child. Although it may appear that the law makes the process difficult, it is crucial to understand that everything is done to protect and satisfy the rights of the unborn child.
The child
Every child has the right to know about its origin, and that is why all egg and sperm donors in Sweden have an open identity. This means that when the child has reached a mature age, it can obtain information about the donor. Studies show that the earlier you tell your child about its origin, the greater the chance that the information will be positively received by the child.