Sperm banks

Couples who desire to have children may be faced with the challenge of infertility.  The reproductive cycle of women is complex and requires that everything is just right in order to conceive a child.  Men, on the other hand, have a pretty straightforward reproductive cycle that produces the other half of the equation, sperm.  One method of treating infertility when it is a male factor is artificial insemination.  Artificial insemination can be successful using the partner’s sperm but may also be done using donor sperm.

Donor sperm is literally the sperm of man who decide to donate his sperm to a sperm bank.  Each sperm bank will evaluate their donors slightly differently but the process is generally the same.

A donor will be asked to fill out an application, come to an initial appointment and provide test samples and an in-depth screening process.  For the most part, men of all ethnicities and backgrounds are accepted but must meet some basic requirements.  These requirements include that they must be 18 years of age and less than 40 years old.  They also must make a commitment to the program, usually six months to one year, and should be able to provide their families medical history back two to three generations.  These basic requirements will often rule out men who are unable to provide enough information for a woman or a couple to make their decision.  The man must also have no chronic health problems.

Other sperm banks may have additional requirements such as a college degree or enrollments in a college program as a means of demonstrating intelligence or IQ.  Other sperm banks may require their donors to be a certain height or not over a certain weight.

Once the donor has met the requirements the candidate will provide samples which are tested for sexually transmitted and genetic diseases.  Screening of the sperm is very vigorous and usually takes three months to complete.  Those who apply should not feel slighted if they are not accepted because top sperm banks report acceptance rates of less than 5% of candidates.  And some sperm banks, notably Xytex in Georgia, may accept less than 1% of men who apply.

As long as the donor continues to participate in the program he is required to have ongoing screenings provided by the sperm bank.  He is then paid for each sample with rates running around $75 to hundreds of dollars per sample.

Women and couples who are interested in using a sperm bank will have the profiles made available to them which outline medical and family history, as well as childhood and adult photos and possibly voice clips.  Donors can choose to remain anonymous or may not to have their identity made available to any future children.  Some sperm banks require a man be in touch with his children before the age of one while others allow the donor to be anonymous.

The majority of men list three different reasons for wishing to become a sperm donor.  Some men want to preserve their sperm for later use in case they run into future problems that may negate their fertility with a mate.  Other men who are undergoing a specific type of surgery that will decrease their chances of being able to produce children may wish to store their sperm at a sperm bank.  Some men find that donating sperm help them earn a little extra cash and others really just want to help infertile couples or single parents conceive a child.

Women who choose to use a sperm bank will often start with her reproductive specialist and have them set up an account.  Women can use artificial insemination with the physician as an outpatient service or can choose to inseminate themselves at home.  Artificial insemination will almost always be coupled with fertility drugs in order to stimulate the woman\’s reproductive system to mature several eggs in one month.  This will increase her chances of a successful conception.

The cost to the woman or a couple for the purchase of sperm can vary from sperm bank to sperm bank.  Overall, a couple may expect to pay between 200 and $600 for a single insemination of sperm.  This usually does include shipping.  However, do not assume anything and always asks the sperm bank to provide a written explanation of all fees and charges.

The use of donor sperm for in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination has become quite common in the past 10 years.  In the future, the need for sperm banks may or may not lessen as new methods to treat infertility become more successful.