J Korean Med Assoc.  2018 Jul;61(7):408-415. 10.5124/jkma.2018.61.7.408.

Reasons of shortage for donated sperm and plan to resolve deficiencies in the sperm donor system

• Park NC

• KMID: 2416411
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2018.61.7.408

Abstract

Sperm banking from recruited donors is an important way to help infertile couples who want to achieve pregnancy by therapeutic artificial insemination, even in the era of in vitro fertilization. Korea has the lowest population density of newborns among all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, with a total fertility rate of 1.17 and an annual birth rate of 300,000 or less as of 2017. This situation emerged due to various causes, including late marriage, fecundity problems, and air pollution. Nevertheless, we have imposed strict limits on basic research and clinical activities, including the operation of sperm banks, in the field of human reproduction under the 2005 Bioethics and Safety Act. Therefore, cryopreserved sperm for artificial insemination is almost absent in the sperm banks of major human reproduction centers. To resolve this difficult situation, as well as to increase the operation of sperm banks in Korea to the global standard level, the author evaluates the underlying reasons for donor sperm use by azoospermic patients from medical, ethical, legal, religious, and cultural perspectives, and then proposes a plan to resolve this situation including highly regulated standard operating procedures to ensure comprehensive safety practices for voluntary sperm donors and infertile couples, as well as to build an ideal sperm donation program.

Keyword

Sperm banks; Sperm donation; Standard operation statements; Artificial insemination

MeSH Terms

Air Pollution
Bioethics
Birth Rate
Family Characteristics
Fertility
Fertilization in Vitro
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Insemination, Artificial
Korea
Marriage
Population Density
Pregnancy
Reproduction
Sperm Banks
Spermatozoa*
Tissue Donors*

Figure

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  Figure 1 Improvement of management system of private type public sperm bank. MOHW, Ministry of Health and Welfare; IVF-ET, in vitro fertilization embryo transfer; SOP, standard operating procedure.

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