The Facts

• Sperm banks are located throughout the world. They pay willing men to visit their facilities and provide semen/sperm donations. Legitimate, reputable sperm banks screen each donor to make sure he is of sound mind and body. They typically evaluate each donor's family medical history as well. In the United States, donors are also screened for transmittable diseases. Once the donor is determined to be healthy and free of disease, a woman may purchase vials of his sperm to use in conceiving a child
  
  

Misconceptions

• Many people assume that sperm banks only provide for anonymous donations. However, there are many that provide the donors and receivers with the options of anonymous and identified donations. For example, a donor may agree to have his identity disclosed to a woman who becomes pregnant from his sperm. Others may agree to identity disclosure when children conceived with their sperm reach 18 years of age. Still, some sperm banks stick solely to anonymous donations.
  
  

Risk Factors

• There is some risk involved with allowing donated semen/sperm into the body. For example, a woman could be exposed to HIV. However, a woman may know more about her sperm donor's health than she would about a new sexual partner's.This is due to the fact that donors are screened for a variety of genetic and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), hepatitis, gonorrhea and syphilis. As an added safety precaution, each sperm donation is quarantined for 6 months. At the end of the quarantine period, the donor is given another blood test to ensure that he is really disease-free.
  
  

Type

• One type of sperm bank ships sperm donations directly to the receiver's home while the other type only ships to a doctor's office. Others ship to a receiver's home only if they have been provided with some sort of certification that the receiver is under a doctor's care. Some women prefer to have the sperm shipped to their own homes and perform the insemination themselves, probably for privacy's sake. However, this only works when the sperm is going to be inserted into the woman's vagina. If she needs intrauterine insemination (IUI) or Intracervical Insemination (ICI), she'll need to visit a medical facility to have the procedure completed.
  
  

Identification

• Identifying a safe, reputable sperm bank can be fairly easy. Most doctors can make educated referrals. Some people also choose to search for sperm banks online, especially in forums designed for those trying to conceive. Sperm bank licensing and accreditation requirements vary, depending on the state in which they are located. However, many people consider banks accredited by The American Association of Tissue Banks reputable.