20 Little Known Facts About Sperm Banks, Including Height Requirements
Donors Must Be 6 Ft Tall And Other Facts You Didn’t Know About Sperm Banks
If you are a sperm donor, then you can not only make a nice little sum of money for doing something you would be doing in your bedroom anyway, but you can also help families who are struggling to conceive. Many men who donate sperm don’t talk about it, either because they’re embarrassed they handed over their seed for money, they want to remain as anonymous as possible, or nobody ever asks them! So sperm banks and the entire industry of sperm donating can be a thing of mystery for many. In fact, you probably don’t know where your local sperm bank even is because these businesses tend to have rather non-descript entrances. So if you’re a man interested in donating sperm, or a woman interested in getting some, here are little-known facts about sperm banks.
Shutterstock
This is how big the industry is
Over one million children are conceived with donated sperm in the United States every year. That’s nearly two percent of all babies born in the U.S. every year.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Image Source: Shutterstock
The cost
One round of insemination can cost between $200 and $800. Depending on your health and your fertility, you may need to undergo several rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI).
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock.com
The sperm is “washed.”
The sperm isn’t put through a strainer, but it is put through a process so that your doctor can catch just the most potent, concentrated swimmers.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock
Surprising reasons women go for IUI
Fertility problems are not the only reasons women try IUI. Some have it because their partner has an STD, and they cannot have sex without a condom. Others have it because they experience pain during sex. Some women even have a semen allergy.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Image Source: Shutterstock
There are requirements for donors
Most sperm banks won’t take donors who are under six feet tall (it turns out women are ordering taller babies these days), or anyone who lives more than an hour away from the sperm bank.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock
PhD sperm is a thing
If you have a PhD you might receive more money for your sample because prospective parents are often willing to pay more money for doctoral sperm.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Corbis
Some banks are very picky
One sperm bank recently stopped accepting samples from red heads. Apparently, they just weren’t selling.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock
You can shop by race
Sperm banks have found that most couples want a baby who will look like them, and so they categorize their sperm by race and try to match it with the ethnicity of the prospective parents.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock
Why couples shop for race
Couples have stated many reasons that they want their baby to be their own race. One of those reasons is they feel they don’t have the cultural understanding and background to properly raise a baby of a totally different ethnicity than their own. Some couples want the fact that they couldn’t conceive on their own to remain a secret; having a baby who looked drastically different from them would give their secret away.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
You can get celebrity sperm
Okay, not actual celebrity sperm. But some banks will allow you to request a donor who looks like a certain celebrity, and they’ll see what they can do.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock
What is non-viable sperm?
If a man has non-viable sperm, this could mean that he has motility problems (his sperm move too slowly to reach the egg), or a low sperm count.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock
Twins, triplets and all
If a woman becomes pregnant through a combination of IUI and fertility drugs, she is much more likely to become pregnant with more than one fetus than if she’d become pregnant through the natural course.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock
What you can know about your donor
Most sperm banks will give you information about your donors like his medical history, education background, social upbringing and demographics.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Image Source: Shutterstock
You might connect with your donor
Some sperm banks offer their donors the option to stay in contact with their future child. It’s up to them whether or not they want that.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Image Source: Shutterstock
The donor can be your friend
You can request to have your friend or someone you know donate the sperm, and the bank will help you retrieve the sample, just as they would with any other donor. They will, however, require you and the donor fill out certain legal documents if you know each other.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Credit: Shutterstock
The cost of in vitro fertilization
If you must use your sample for in vitro fertilization— the sperm and egg come together in a laboratory dish, outside the woman’s body—you might pay around $12,000.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Shutterstock
A cured STD disqualifies you
If you have ever had an STD, you will be disqualified as a donor. This holds true even if you have been completely cured of it.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
Image Source: Shutterstock
You must know a lot about your family
You’ll need to fill out a detail medical questionnaire. Not only will you need to answer dozens of detailed questions about your own medical history, but you’ll also need to be well-versed on almost all of your immediate family.
- Xscape Talks Platinum Single, Balancing Motherhood, And Kicking Off Their Summer Tour Without Exiled Group Member LaTocha Scott [Exclusive]
- Georgia Judge Prohibits Tiffany Haddish From Drinking And Ingesting Illegal Substances
- Nia Long Isn’t Happy With How The Boston Celtics Handled Ime Udoka’s Cheating Scandal
- Tyler Perry And Byron Allen Are In Talks To Acquire BET From Paramount
- Anita Baker To Embark On Nationwide Tour For The First Time Since 1995
