Ten Things you should know About before Donating Sperm to a Clinic
Not everyone can donate
You are not able to donating to a clinic if you are a homosexual man who has sex with other men. You can’t donate if you have a history of diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis. Drug users and anyone who might have had sexual activity with someone with HIV.
You don’t have to be anonymous
Unlike the UK, where sperm donors cannot remain anonymous by law, in America you can choose whether or not to keep your anonymity. If you choose to remain anonymous your details will only stay on file at the sperm bank where you gave your donation, (for a period of 30 years). However if you choose not to be anonymous the details you supply at the time of donation will be passed on to any children conceived with your sperm after they reach the age of eighteen. They will then be able to make contact if they are able to trace you.
You will get paid
According to the New York Cryo Bank, a donor who gives sperm 2 to 3 times a week can expect to make up to $1,000 a month.
It will affect your sex life
Most clinics request that you donate sperm over the period of a year or two and donate at least once a week. The clinic will ask you to refrain from any sexual activity for around 2 to 3 days before you donate because ejaculation effects sperm quality. If you have a partner, they need to understand that sexual activity may only be possible at certain times.
Donating Sperm to a Clinic : your blood and urine will be tested for illness and disease
You will have to give a blood sample, which will then be tested for diseases and medical conditions. You will be tested for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, Syphilis and Chlamydia. You will also be tested for genetic diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, Tay-Sachs and sickle cell disease. There are many more conditions and diseases you will be tested for, both before you become a donor and after.
Your sperm will be evaluated
The first test that a clinic will carry out will be on your sperm. They test it for quality to make sure that there are no defects and that they are a normal shape. They look at the quantity of the sperm you are producing and they also look at sperm motility. This is a test to see that the sperm are moving and that they swim in a straight line.
Your sperm will be used to create more than one child
Some sperm banks limit the number of families to ten per donor, but other banks are said to allow between 25 to 50 families.
You will have to give a lot of Information
The initial application can be as much as 24 pages in length. It is very detailed and you need to answer all the questions.
You Will Need to Know your Family History
Some clinics require you to go back four generations. However other will require you to know the medical history of your parents and your grandparents. Your sisters and brother, aunts, uncles and cousins. The doctors will want to know if you have a family history of heart disease, or a history of addictive behaviour such as alcoholism or substance abuse.
It takes time to become a donor
After all the tests and the form filling. Your sperm sample will be frozen for around 6 months. It will then be thawed and tested again. If the tests are positive, then you can become a sperm donor.
Responses