Fecundability trends among sperm donors as a measure of donor performance

Objective: To examine fecundability trends among sperm donors. Design: Retrospective analysis. Setting: University-based sperm bank and donor insemination program. Patient(s): Sperm donors and recipients. Intervention(s): A group of recipients underwent IUI with cryopreserved don or sperm. Fecundability was calculated for 20 sperm donors over 800 insemin ation cycles. Main Outcome Measure(s): Average fecundability per donor was compared for t he first 40 cycles of a donor's use and for those donors within a group of more fertile recipients. Sperm parameters, recipient ages, and number of un ique recipients for each donor were analyzed. Result(s): Average donor fecundability is constant; however, individual don ors demonstrated differences among their fecundabilities (overall mean, 0.0 9; range, 0.01-0.26). These differences persisted for donors among a group of more fertile recipients (overall mean, 0.12; range, 0.02-0.35). A donor' s fecundability at 15 cycles is predictive of his future performance. Conclusion(s): Differences in fecundability exist among sperm donors which cannot be discerned through routine semen parameters. Sperm donor fecundabi lity should be analyzed periodically, and directors of sperm banks should c onsider discontinuing use of a donor whose outcome is substandard. (C) 1999 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.