How to Choose a Sperm Bank

Sperm donation is done so that couples who can't have children naturally can have an opportunity to have a child. Sperm banks pay donors per deposit, and sperm costs at least several hundred dollars per insemination. A patient can either go to the sperm bank to pick up sperm, or have it shipped to them if the facility is not close to home. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Compare how many years each sperm bank has been in business. Ask what certifications and accreditations they have. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine publishes strict guidelines that sperm banks must follow to receive certification.
2. Check what kind of screenings the banks perform, such as physical exams, blood tests and family history. The sperm bank should review medical history going back at least one generation, preferably two.
3. Select a bank that tracks the donor's medical history. This is very important, in case the donor comes down with a genetic disease that would affect the sperm. Also make sure that the bank will notify you if such changes happen to occur.
4. Find out if the sperm bank tracks pregnancies of the donor's sperm. If they do track the sperm, then you'll know that the sperm is actually capable of fertilizing an egg.
5. Find a sperm bank that makes a donor's medical records accessible to adult children if it's medically necessary.
6. Ask if the sperm bank participates in "ID Release" which allows the child to learn who the biological father is.