For infertile couples or for women wishing to have children without a male partner, sperm banks are often the answer. These facilities supply sperm for use in in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination. The men who donate the semen specimens, which are later frozen, are called sperm donors.

To become a sperm donor typically requires a series of screening tests. In fact, it’s estimated that 90 to 95 percent of applicants are rejected. The ideal candidate is a man between the ages of 18 and 35 who doesn’t drink or smoke and is free of sexually transmitted infections. Sperm banks perform a full physical examination and ask to see a man’s medical history to make sure he doesn’t have any serious hereditary diseases swimming in his gene pool. Further testing for transmissible diseases, including HIV, is done, and repeated annually if the donor continues to provide his semen. After a semen sample is collected through masturbation, the sperm donor is usually compensated with a cash payment.

These men can choose between anonymous and non-anonymous sperm donation. When a man chooses to remain anonymous, his identity is fully withheld; the couple receiving the sperm may receive a limited amount of information, such as the donor’s height, hair color, weight, and other physical attributes. In a non-anonymous donation, the donor allows his information to be revealed. Once the child turns 18, he or she may learn the identity of a non-anonymous genetic donor.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. In the United States, sperm banks are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
  2. Each state has its own law stipulating how many children can be born from one donor’s sperm.