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How to Find a Sperm Donor

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If you’re planning on pursuing ICI or IUI to get pregnant, one of the steps in this process is finding a sperm donor. Since it’s a once in a lifetime decision, it can be extremely overwhelming. Fortunately, the more time you spend educating yourself about this topic, the more confident you’ll ultimately feel with your decision.

Is a Sperm Bank the Best Way to Find a Donor?

Although a sperm bank isn’t the only option for securing a donor, it’s by far the best. Because a bank’s entire reputation and financial solvency rest on providing their patients with the best donor specimens possible, everything about how they operate is optimized to accomplish that goal. While ensuring that you find the ideal donor is enough of a reason to work with a bank, it’s worth noting that’s actually not the only reason for this option being the best. A bank will also help you in a variety of different ways prior to and during your pregnancy.

What Standards and Requirements Should a Sperm Bank Have?

It should come as no surprise that not all sperm banks are created equally. This is true both for their entire operations, as well as how they screen donors. The good news is one of the easiest ways to filter out banks that aren’t a good match is to look at the standards and requirements they have for donors. You want a bank that requires donors to be at least 5’9″. The age range for donors should be between 19 and 39. They should also be required to either have at least a Bachelor’s degree or be in the process of obtaining one. In addition to being in good health, being able to legally work in the US is the other requirement that should be in place. Even with those standards in place, you still want a bank that only ultimately accepts donations from less than two percent of the men who apply.

Anonymous vs. Open Sperm Donor: What’s the Difference?

One question people commonly have as they begin looking into and evaluating sperm banks is the difference between choosing an anonymous and open sperm donor. These terms refer to whether or not a future child will have the option to contact their biological father. With an anonymous donor, that option won’t be available. With an open donor, the option will be available to a child when they turn eighteen. Keep in mind that just because the option is available doesn’t mean a child will have to do anything about it. While the “right choice” is different for every situation, what’s most important is knowing what these terms mean.

Being able to talk with an experienced professional about an issue like anonymous vs. open sperm donation is just one of many examples of why you’ll be very happy about your decision to work with a highly regarded sperm bank.