Crea News
CREA PROMOTES A CAMPAIGN FOR SPERM AND EGG DONATION AMONG YOUNGSTERS IN VALENCIA, GIVEN THE INCREASING DEMAND FROM RECIPIENTS
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The initiative is directed to men and women from 18 to 30 years of age and seeks to raise awareness about the social value of donation and the benefit implied for the donor, by preventing future reproductive problems.
- Currently, 5% of births occurred in Spain are consequence of assisted reproduction treatments.
Directors of CREA medical centre for assisted reproduction, Dr. Carmen Calatayud and Dr. Miguel Ruiz Jorro, have presented today the campaign “Share Happiness”, which encourages youngsters to become donors of sperm and eggs, given the increasing demand from couples that undergo a fertility treatment.
“Share Happiness” is a pioneer initiative to raise awareness among youngsters in the Comunidad Valenciana from 18 and 30 years of age, about the social value of gametes donation that can bring so much happiness to couples seeking to have children. Furthermore, CREA guarantees donors a medical control that can detect and prevent future reproductive problems for themselves.
Dr. Ruiz remarked the importance of donation at a time were women seek maternity at a later age, which often causes many of them to present oocytes of poor quality. This is added to men sperm low quality as recent studies have revealed, making difficult to find new donors.
As Dr. Ruiz indicates, donation is something common, since almost 5% of births taking place in Spain are from children conceived using reproductive techniques. Furthermore, approximately one in every five couples on fertile age cannot achieve pregnancy on a natural way or complete the gestation period to term, after being trying for a year.
Over 80% of male population has bad quality semen
According to CREA´s data, over 80% from men that go to fertility clinics, have bad quality sperm and in some cases it is necessary to resort to sperm banks. With regards to young donor candidates, the medical centre has detected that 25.7% have spermatozoids low count and 61.8% doesn’t have their semen completely normal, which implies a greater risk of suffering infertility problems.
In women cases, developing their careers has delayed the age of first gestation and it has been demonstrated that from 37 years onwards, oocyte quality diminishes significantly. Miscarriages rate increases greatly at 40 years and after the 42nd birthday chances of achieving a pregnancy with their own eggs ranges 1% of cases.
CREA has its own Sperm Bank with over 20 years experience as well as a gametes donation program on an international level. The clinic specifically selects a donor for each recipient so they share the same blood group and physicality. Male and female donors visit Psychologists working at the clinic and undergo a series of hormonal, blood and genetic studies as well as gynaecological revision in women cases.
The clinic is pioneer also applying a protocol to provoke ovulation which guarantees on one side minimal discomfort to the donor that in 98% of cases confirms that would repeat the experience and on the other oocyte maximum quality which has permitted CREA to increase pregnancy rates from 50% to 70%.
Addressed to University students
“Sharing Happiness” campaign, designed by Esteve Durbá Brands, is oriented mainly to university students. The main conducting threads are sugar sachets to be distributed in every campus cafeteria with messages and information about donation. CREA has also developed a web site
www.compartefelicidad.com where those interested can obtain further information on how to become a donor.
