If you are thinking of donating sperm or using a sperm donor you will want to know what the advantages and disadvantages are.
Donating sperm is an exciting step in a man’s life and also a huge decision.
Here are the pros and cons for donors to consider:
What are the Advantages of Donating at a Sperm Bank?
• You are one generous guy. You can give yourself a pat on the back forever knowing every day you have brought unimaginable joy to new parents.
• You are performing a selfless act bringing eternal happiness to a family struggling to have a baby.
• You could get paid for being a sperm donor.
What are the Disadvantages of Donating at a Sperm Bank?
• You need to be committed to donating sperm as you may be required to visit the sperm bank on a weekly basis.
• You will receive a lot of health tests. You will find out whether or not you have genetic diseases, STDs and a healthy sperm count.
• You will need to watch your sexual activity in order to maintain a clean bill of sexual health.
• You will be asked not to ejaculate for 1 to 2 days before donating sperm.
• Some clinics require a six month wait between when the sperm is first donated and when it is available for use. This is so that the sperm can be retested for HIV after the six month window.
• You will need to consider whether to tell you friends and family. What would their reaction be?
• Most sperm donor are not anonymous. You will be identifiable when the child reaches 18 years of age. You will need to consider what kind of impact this will have on you and you future family.
Anonymous and Known Sperm Donors
There are two types of sperm donors: anonymous sperm donors and known sperm donors. You will find anonymous sperm donors in a sperm bank catalogue. If you choose an anonymous donor, you will not meet the donor and their identity will remain unknown to you.
A known donor could be a friend or colleague who is willing to donate his sperm to you.
Here are the pros and cons for women using sperm donors:
What are the Advantages of using a Known Sperm Donor?
• Known sperm donors are free. It is illegal to pay a sperm donor so your friend or colleague will be donating from the good of his hear not his pocket.
• You literally save thousands and thousands of dollars.
• Fresh sperm is much stronger than frozen sperm. Frozen sperm die in the freeze thaw process so fresh sperm gives you a higher volume of swimmers.
• You can carry out insemination in the privacy of your own home. You can insemination yourself of have your partner do it.
• It is satisfying to feel that you have met your donor and know him well. After all, your child will be biologically connected to your donor.
What are the Disadvantages of using a Known Sperm Donor?
• The process can create complications in your relationship with the donor. You need to consider the donors feelings and that of his family. The donor’s family may want a say in things. It is always a great idea to sign a legal contract with the donor that outlines each party’s rights and responsibilities.
• In a lesbian relationship the partner of the recipient may feel threatened or vulnerable by the presence of the known donor in the child’s life.
• You are relying on your donor telling you he is STI free. Could he be exposed to poor sexual health during the donation process?
• Does your donor know if there are any genetic diseases in his family history? You are relying on what your donor tells you about his family history.
• Many men say they produce a ‘full load’ when ejaculating and think they will be super sperm donors but unless you do a semen analysis, you will not know if they have a good sperm count. This means is his sperm a good shape, can the sperm swim well and is there a lot of sperm in the ejaculate?
What are the Advantages of Buying Frozen Sperm?
• Sperm banks will, by law, always test the sperm for STI’s and sperm’s count / motility.
• You can freeze sperm from the same donor for future pregnancies.
• Frozen sperm can be washed and used for either IUI or IVF. You can ask your clinic for pregnancy statistics for those methods of artificial insemination.
• The donor has no legal rights and responsibilities. It’s just between you and your partner.
What are the Disadvantages of Buying Frozen Sperm?
• Frozen sperm is expensive at a cost of around $800 for a vial of washed semen. You will also have shipping and storage fees to consider. All of this is before you even start IVF costs.
• Some sperm banks do not screen for genetic abnormalities. When you select your sperm bank you should consider whether genetic testing is part of their process.
• As your child will not have the option of meeting their donor until they are 18 this may cause psychological trauma to the child.