Assisted reproduction technology procedures using donated gametes at the department of obstetrics and gynecology, University medical centre Ljubljana

Background: After the law on assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in Slovenia was legalized, donor procedures at the Department of Ob/Gyn, University Medical Center Ljubljana, were started at the end of 2001; by September 2005 221 recipient couples have applied for the procedures: 153 couples for donor semen (DS) procedures and 68 couples for donor oocyte (DO) procedures. Methods: Gametes can be donated by healthy men aged 18–55 years and healthy women aged 18 to 35 years. After donation, donor semen is frozen, and donor oocytes are fertilized with the semen of the recipient, after which embryos are frozen. If after a 6-month safety period repeated tests on sexually transmitted infections are negative, thawed semen or embryos can be used for the recipients. Results: Gametes have been donated by 97 men and 30 women. ART using DS was performed in 98 couples. Pregnancy rate per embryo transfer (ET) of fresh embryos has been 30 %; pregnancy rate per ET of thawed embryos has been 20 %. ART using DO have been performed in 46 couples. After a 6-months safety period, embryos of 38 couples have been transferred to recipients. Pregnancy rate on ET of thawed embryos has been 19 %. Conclusions: Our experiences have shown, that gamete donation program can be implemented also in Slovenia and that donor procedures are equally successful as homologous procedures. In the future we intend to consolidate the program.