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Intended Parents

How to Find a Sperm Donor

Having embryos is a required part of the surrogacy journey and you may need to find a sperm donor depending on your circumstances.

Whether you need to know how to find a sperm donor for surrogacy or in-vitro fertilization (IVF), we’re here for you.

Contact us online to get connected to a reputable fertility clinic near you that can help with the next stages of your path to parenthood once you have embryos secured.

If finding a sperm donor could be part of your journey, this article will walk you through the ins and outs of how to do it as well as other aspects that you may not have considered like what you can look for in a donor and how sperm donors are screened.

How to Find a Sperm Donor

About one third of infertility issues come as a result of conditions that impact the male sperm count. If you need to find a sperm donor, you have two primary options:

  • Direct Donation: You can arrange to have someone you know be your sperm donor.
  • Sperm Banks: Commercial facilities around the U.S. where you can find a sperm donor.  

Finding a Sperm Donor [What Can You Choose?]

If you want to find a sperm donor, one of the most commonly asked questions centers around what can be chosen.

A few examples of the characteristics you can look for are:

It may be important to you or your partner to have a child that looks like you. Working with a sperm bank means physical traits such as hair color, eye color; ethnicity and height will all be included in their profile.

Just like you or your partner may place an emphasis on physical traits, you may want a donor with an artistic or athletic background.

If you grew up in a household with an emphasis on education and reaped the benefits as you got older, it may be important to you. You can find donors with all sorts of educational backgrounds.

Finding a sperm donor with a career-drive background could be important to you in setting a good example for your child as they grow older. There are sperm donors of all different professions to choose from.

All of these examples could be of something you want to impart on your child or wish to see in their lives as they grow up. If you grew up living an active, healthy lifestyle you may want that for your child.

If you or your partner has a family history of genetic disease that needs to be screened for, then you’ll want to see a donor’s medical history to ensure they don’t carry that same disease. The type of diet and having an active lifestyle are just a couple more examples of preferences you can choose.

When you go to find a sperm donor, have an idea of if you want a known or unknown donor. Some donors have a preference for their level of involvement, but having a known donor can give you more insight into family history and other information that could be important down the road.

How Do the Best Sperm Banks Screen Donors?

One of the best ways to find a sperm donor is to work with a reputable professional.

Different banks will have different screening processes and looking at their sperm donation website’s can be a good place to start.

Here are a few examples of screening standards for finding a sperm donor online from various banks:

Inspection and accreditation by the American Association of Tissue Banks and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and any states that regulate sperm banks with state health departments.

Detailed questions about the donor’s health status could include a physical examination, a genetic carrier test and a medical review of the donor’s family health history.

Since 2016, California Cryobank has required donors to complete a criminal background check and clinical interviews with one of their licensed mental health professionals in addition to other interviews with their coordinators, reproductive genetic specialist and physicians who are trained in non-clinical determinations on a potential donor’s emotional and psychological readiness to become a donor.

Potential donors will be screened for diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis, HIV and syphilis.

Once you find a reputable professional with the standards you want to partner with, you can start looking at their sperm donation website to see the profiles of the donors they work with.

Learn more about the costs of finding a sperm donor

Find a Sperm Donor – Frequently Asked Questions

How Hard Is It To Get a Sperm Donor?

Working with a reputable professional like a sperm bank can make finding a sperm donor smooth and straightforward. Not only do they have standards and screening processes when talking to potential sperm donors, they have several options of available donors you can choose from. 

How to Find a Good Sperm Donor?

In order to find a good sperm donor, you can find a donor that you know personally or work with a reputable professional like a sperm bank. A sperm bank must follow local and federal regulations when it comes to the sperm donors they work with.

How To Get Pregnant with Sperm Donor?

There are two ways to get pregnant with a sperm donor. Intrauterine insemination sees the sperm inserted directly into the uterus at ovulation. IVF creates an embryo from the donor’s sperm and an egg that is transferred to the uterus when initiated by your medical team.

Male and Female couple smiling with surrogate mother
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