Are you looking on the internet for a sperm donor to help you have a baby? There are many websites that offer matching or ‘connection’ services with sperm donors, and a new survey has revealed the intentions of many of the men on these types of sites.
Researchers from the Centre for Family Research in Cambridge interviewed over 380 men registered on a sperm donor connection site, and found that over a third of the men wished to pursue anonymous donation, whilst others preferred their identity to be known or sought a co-parenting or other arrangement.
The method of insemination also varied, with half of heterosexual donors saying they preferred ‘natural’ insemination.
Opting for the internet as a way to obtain donor sperm may seem a quick option compared to going for treatment through a fertility clinic, but there are many reasons why having treatment through a licensed, regulated clinic using a HFEA-registered sperm donor is recommended:
Safeguarding your health
All HFEA-registered sperm donors available through a licensed clinic have passed stringent screening processes to be accepted, and have tested clear for common conditions and illnesses including STIs, genetic and hereditary problems that may affect the health of you or your future child.
Legal parentage
Your sperm donor has no legal, moral or financial responsibility to any child you have through treatment at our clinic. The law outside a licensed clinic setting is complex - so if you’re thinking of making your own private arrangement via a connection website, it’s vital you seek specialist legal advice. Read the HFEA’s advice about this on the HFEA website.
Your child’s origins
Your sperm donor must agree to be identifiable to any child they help to create. This gives your child the right to apply to HFEA for information about their sperm donor when they turn 18, so they can find out about their biological origins.
Anonymity for you
Anonymity is intact between you and your chosen sperm donor. He is never given any information about you that could lead to you being identified. As your sperm donor, he is entitled to apply to find out only if a baby has been born with his help, the year it was born, and its gender.
Choosing your donor
Using a sperm donor from a licensed clinic sperm donor bank doesn’t mean you’re only given very basic information about him. All Manchester Fertility sperm donor profiles are highly-detailed beyond just the physical characteristics, and even include a pen-portrait and personal goodwill message from the donor to you and any child you have. So you can choose your sperm donor with confidence, using the insight of our dedicated Donation Team who get to know each of our sperm donors very well.
Donor sperm
At Manchester Fertility we offer cost-effective, pre-paid treatment plans for donor sperm insemination, which give you three cycles of treatment for one discounted price.
If you’d like to have a baby with the help of one of our UK-based, health-screened sperm donors, contact our Patient Advisors to get started on 0161 300 2737. All our sperm donors are fertile men aged 18-45. with the highest quality sperm to maximise your chances of success.
Last updated: 12th April 2021
