This was a nationwide cohort study based on Danish health registers focusing on assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments in women using donor or partner sperm from 2007 to 2017. Women using donor sperm were subdivided into groups based on relationship status: women with male partners, single women, or women with female partners. The live birth adjusted odds ratios (aORs) after the IUI treatments in women using donor sperm compared with women using partner sperm were 1.48 (95% CI: 1.38-1.59) in women with male partners using donor sperm, 1.20 (95% CI: 1.13-1.28) in single women, and 1.46 (95% CI: 1.32-1.62) in women with female partners. The live birth aORs after IVF treatments in women using donor sperm compared with women using partner sperm were 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02-1.32) in women with male partners using donor sperm, 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80-0.96) in single women, and 1.20 (95% CI: 1.00-1.44), in women with female partners. The use of donor sperm was associated with a higher chance of a live birth after the IUI treatments, but there was no difference after the IVF treatments. Our study invites healthcare professionals to increase their attention toward the different needs and fertility issues of all women attending fertility clinics.
Keywords: donor sperm; fertility; in vitro fertilization; intrauterine insemination; live birth; partner sperm.