HFEA-licensed fertility care · UK
Donor insemination in the UK, the HFEA way.
Donor sperm from an HFEA-registered UK bank or an approved imported bank, with mandatory implications counselling, honest success-rate numbers, and one clinician from consult to pregnancy test.
Why patients choose us
- 01
HFEA-licensed clinics only
Every clinic in our network holds a current HFEA licence — donor sperm is traceable, quarantined and regulated end-to-end.
- 02
A counselling team, not a tick-box
Implications counselling is mandatory in the UK. Ours is thorough — donor identifiability, family limits, and what to tell a child born from donor sperm.
- 03
Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic, so the recommendation on IUI versus IVF, and on which donor bank, is impartial and costs you nothing.
Indicative pricing
What donor insemination costs privately in the UK.
Indicative ranges across our HFEA-licensed partner clinics. Send the details and we quote firm figures across two or three options.
In short
A medicated IUI with donor sperm in our network: £2,700–£4,100 all-in, per cycle.
| Item | Indicative range | Typical duration | Outcome timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donor sperm vial (UK or imported) | £900–£1,600 | Per vial | Reserved to cycle |
| IUI — natural cycle | £1,500–£2,000 | 2–3 wks | Beta-hCG at 14d |
| IUI — medicated cycle | £1,800–£2,500 | 3–4 wks | Beta-hCG at 14d |
| IVF cycle with donor sperm | £5,000–£8,000 | 4–6 wks | Transfer + 14d |
| IVF with donor sperm + ICSI | £5,800–£8,800 | 4–6 wks | Transfer + 14d |
| Fertility consult + implications counselling | £350–£700 | 60–90 min | Same visit |
Prices vary by clinic, by which bank supplies the vial, by whether stimulation medication is added, and by whether ICSI or extra embryology work is used. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The problem
The right route, the right bank, the right counsel.
Donor insemination is one of the most tightly regulated pieces of UK medicine — and one of the most emotionally loaded. We help you get the clinical decision right and the counselling done properly.
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IUI or IVF first?
Age, ovarian reserve and any coexistent factor decide it. We say honestly which one gives you the better cycle.
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Which donor bank?
A UK bank or an approved imported bank (Cryos, ESB, LSB) — each has different profiles, wait times and family-limit dynamics.
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What to tell a child?
Donor identifiability at 18 is UK law. Counselling helps you plan disclosure — early, honestly, in your own words.
The journey
From consult to antenatal — what happens, in order.
One clinician from first message to pregnancy test — with mandatory counselling before any cycle begins.
Phase 1 · Before the cycle
Consult, counselling, screening, donor
Phase 2 · Cycle
IUI or IVF
Phase 3 · After
Test, scan, antenatal
- 01
Before
Fertility consult
A consultant reviews your history, the reason for using donor sperm, and whether IUI or IVF is the sensible first step.
- 02
Before
HFEA implications counselling
Mandatory in the UK. A qualified counsellor discusses donor identifiability at 18, the 10-family limit, and what donor-conception means for you and any child.
- 03
Before
Screening
Recipient screening for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, plus a karyotype and a day-3 hormone panel with AMH to plan the cycle.
- 04
Before
Donor selection
You choose from an HFEA-registered UK bank or an approved imported bank (Cryos, ESB, London Sperm Bank), matched on physical and educational profile.
- 05
Cycle
The cycle
IUI on a natural or medicated cycle, or IVF with donor sperm if IUI has failed or a coexistent factor is present.
- 06
After
Pregnancy test
A blood beta-hCG two weeks after insemination or embryo transfer. If negative, we plan the next cycle; if positive, an early scan follows.
- 07
After
Antenatal handover
A pregnancy scan at 7–8 weeks, then handover to obstetric care — with counselling on record for the child’s future access.
Typical end-to-end: 6–10 weeks from enquiry to first cycle. Multiple cycles are often needed.
When it helps
When donor insemination is the right route.
The situations we see most, plus the one red flag that changes the plan before a cycle begins.
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Azoospermia after failed micro-TESE
No sperm on ejaculate and none retrieved surgically — donor sperm is the route to a genetic parent on one side.
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Severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia
Very low count, poor motility, abnormal morphology — where ICSI with the partner’s sperm is not viable, donor sperm is offered.
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Same-sex female couples
Donor sperm allows one or both partners to carry — with reciprocal IVF as an option to share the biological role.
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Single women by choice
Solo motherhood on your own terms — HFEA-regulated, with counselling that respects the choice.
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Preventing genetic transmission
For dominant conditions such as Huntington’s disease, donor sperm avoids passing the gene to the child.
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Failed ICSI cycles
Where repeated ICSI with the partner’s sperm has not produced a pregnancy, donor sperm is a considered next step.
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Post-cancer treatment
Where chemotherapy or radiotherapy has left no viable sperm and no cryopreserved sample, donor sperm restores the option.
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Red flag: 10-family limit reached
A UK donor is capped at 10 families. If your chosen donor is at cap, we help you pick another before the cycle starts.
Treatment options
IUI is not the only option — and IVF is not the only escalation.
What each route actually involves — and which fits which situation.
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IUI — natural cycle
Donor sperm placed in the uterus around natural ovulation. Simpler, lower cost, ~10–15% per cycle depending on age.
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IUI — medicated cycle
Low-dose stimulation with clomiphene or letrozole and monitored ovulation before insemination. Higher chance, small risk of twins.
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IVF with donor sperm
Standard IVF using donor sperm to fertilise your eggs in the lab. ~35% live birth per cycle under 35, falling with age.
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IVF with donor sperm + ICSI
A single donor sperm injected into each egg — used when the vial’s parameters are borderline or to maximise fertilisation.
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Reciprocal IVF (same-sex)
One partner provides the eggs, the other carries the pregnancy — a shared biological path with donor sperm.
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Imported donor sperm
Vials from Cryos (Denmark), European Sperm Bank or London Sperm Bank — quarantined 6 months and re-screened before release.
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Known donor route
A friend or acquaintance donates through an HFEA-licensed clinic — same screening, counselling and quarantine as an anonymous donor.
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Consultation only
An honest discussion of whether IUI or IVF fits, and which bank suits — no obligation.
Our vetted UK network
A small panel of HFEA-licensed clinics, we picked them.
Consultant-led fertility clinics across London and the home counties, each with BICA-registered counsellors. Not listed publicly — introductions are made privately once we understand your case.
Selection criteria
How we choose every clinic in our network.
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HFEA-licensed fertility clinics with current inspection reports
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BICA-registered fertility counsellors for implications sessions
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Access to UK and approved imported donor banks (Cryos, ESB, LSB)
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Consultant-led IUI and IVF with same-team continuity across cycles
Safety and considerations
What to weigh — honestly.
Donor insemination is safe when done in an HFEA-licensed clinic. The things worth planning are the medical risks, the family limits, and the identity conversation that will happen one day.
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OHSS on stimulation
Ovarian hyperstimulation is uncommon on IUI cycles and low on well-monitored IVF, but abdominal swelling, breathlessness or reduced urine warrants same-day contact.
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Multiple pregnancy
Medicated IUI carries a small twin risk; single embryo transfer is our default in IVF to keep it low.
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Ectopic pregnancy
A pregnancy outside the uterus is uncommon but can happen after IUI or IVF. One-sided pain or bleeding needs urgent review.
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Failed cycle
IUI succeeds in roughly 10–15% per cycle, IVF ~35% under 35. A negative test is not the end — the next cycle plan is discussed at review.
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Donor-conceived identity
Children born from donor sperm after 1 April 2005 can access identifying information about the donor at 18. Counselling helps you plan how and when to tell them.
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The 10-family limit
A single UK donor may create children for a maximum of 10 families. If your donor reaches cap mid-treatment, we plan around it.
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Altruistic donation only
UK donors are not paid — only reasonable expenses are reimbursed. Imported vials come from regulated banks under equivalent standards.
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Psychological weight is real
Using donor sperm is a significant decision. Counselling is not a formality — it is where the questions you have not asked out loud get asked.
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Red flags
Severe pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, breathlessness, or fever after a cycle are not normal — call the clinic or A&E the same day.
Reading your cycle notes
Your cycle notes in four parts. Read the last one first.
Whichever route was used — IUI or IVF — the note the clinic sends you keeps to the same shape.
A quiet reminder
Fertility language is precise and can read coldly — we translate it for you.
If you would like us to talk you through the note before your review, just ask.
- 01 Header
Indication and route chosen
Why donor sperm was recommended — male factor, same-sex couple, single woman, genetic risk — and whether IUI or IVF was the agreed first line.
- 02 Technique
Donor bank, vial and cycle protocol
Which HFEA-registered or imported bank the vial came from, the donor code, and the stimulation and insemination or transfer protocol used.
- 03 Findings
Response, insemination and outcome
Endometrial thickness, number of follicles or embryos, insemination timing or transfer day, and the beta-hCG result at 14 days.
- 04 Impression
Next steps and counselling record
Read this first: whether to repeat, escalate to IVF, or move to antenatal care — with a note that HFEA implications counselling is on file.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Cover for donor insemination and IVF varies by insurer and policy — many exclude fertility treatment entirely, some fund investigations only. We confirm cover before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about donor insemination.
Quick answers on the HFEA framework, donor identifiability, success rates and cost.
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What is donor insemination and how does it work in the UK?
Donor insemination uses sperm from an HFEA-registered UK sperm bank or an approved imported bank to achieve a pregnancy — either by IUI (placing sperm in the uterus) or by IVF (fertilising eggs in the lab). Every step is licensed and regulated by the HFEA.
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Who uses donor sperm?
Heterosexual couples with severe male-factor infertility (azoospermia after failed micro-TESE, severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia), same-sex female couples, single women, and couples preventing transmission of a genetic condition such as Huntington’s disease.
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Are UK donors anonymous?
No. Since 1 April 2005 the child born from donor sperm can access identifying information about the donor at 18 — full name, last known address and date of birth. This is one reason implications counselling is mandatory before treatment.
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How many families can one donor create?
A single UK donor is capped at 10 families. Sibling numbers within each family are not limited, but a donor at family-cap is retired from use.
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What are the success rates?
Roughly 10–15% live birth per IUI cycle, age-dependent. IVF with donor sperm sits around 35% per cycle under 35, falling with age. Numbers are a guide — the fertility consult gives you your own.
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How much does donor insemination cost privately in the UK?
A donor sperm vial is £900–£1,600. IUI cycles run £1,500–£2,500 including monitoring; a full IVF cycle with donor sperm is £5,000–£8,000, add ~£800 for ICSI. We confirm a firm figure within one working day.
Related tests and procedures
Looking for something else?
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Semen analysis
The partner test that decides IUI, ICSI or donor sperm.
Learn more -
Testicular mapping
Micro-TESE and sperm-retrieval mapping for azoospermia.
Learn more -
Dilation and curettage
D&C for miscarriage management and uterine assessment.
Learn more -
All tests
Every test and procedure we arrange.
Learn more