Those who use a sperm bank do so because it has assets, just as with a regular bank. These assets are very valuable to a lot of people. These banks are where biological material used for creating families is stored.

Individuals and couples who have barriers to conceiving a child can use sperm donor insemination, also called DI or donor insemination. These obstacles can range from the male partner not having suitable sperm. It can also be used for women who do not have a male partner.

DI tends to have a good success rate in general. It may not be as effective for women over the age of 40 as the quality of eggs declines over time. If this becomes a problem, there are other ways to achieve pregnancy including using a donor egg.

Men are sometimes not able to produce sperm at all due to testicular injury, cancer therapy or genetic defect. Sometimes a man can produce sperm but it is low quality in that the numbers produced are smaller than average or they are not moving as much as they should.

When compared with some other techniques that assist reproduction, sperm banks are less costly than many of the others. However, this is many times not used until other IVF attempts have been tried and exhausted.
Singles or couples who use this service usually try to find sperm donors who match them on different levels. While most choose a donor with a similar ethnic or racial background, others may be more interested in finding a donor who has their same physical attributes such as eye color, height, build or hair color. Sometimes it is of importance to find someone who has similar religious or political beliefs. While most of the donors are anonymous, each has a profile that has information about his background. This usually includes a physical description, ethnic information, educational level, religion or philosophical belief, and other information that the potential parent or parents can use to aid selection.

During the process, the couple or single seeking to use the DI process will have to consider several things. They should have an understanding of their own role in reproduction and why they are considering this system. They should communicate with each other about potential donors. The need to investigate and be aware of any legal issues related to insemination as it can vary from locale to locale. They should also discuss the method they are going to use for the insemination. Using a sperm bank may not be suitable for everyone but it works for many people.

And you, would you use a sperm bank?