Perinatal outcomes following IVF with use of donor versus partner sperm

It is a matter of interest whether pregnancies with the use of donor sperm are associated with a higher risk of adverse perinatal outcomes compared with partner sperm. Anonymized data were obtained from the Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority. Data from 1991 to 2011 involving a total of 95,787 singleton births (4523 with donor sperm and 91,264 with partner sperm) following fresh IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were analysed to compare perinatal outcomes of preterm birth (PTB), low birthweight (LBW) and high birthweight (HBW). The risk of LBW was significantly lower (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.79–0.99) following donor sperm versus partner sperm IVF/ICSI. There was no significant difference in the risk of PTB (aOR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.83–1.04), early PTB (aOR 0.86, 95% CI: 0.67–1.11), very LBW (aOR 0.95, 95% CI: 0.75–1.20), HBW (aOR 1.09, 95% CI: 0.98–1.21) and very HBW (aOR 1.15, 95% CI: 0.90–1.45) following donor sperm versus partner sperm IVF/ICSI. The current study did not demonstrate an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes following donor sperm compared with partner sperm IVF/ICSI treatment