Eight Surprising Things You May Not Know About Being a Sperm Donor

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions around being a sperm donor.

Here are eight facts you may not know about donating sperm, the sperm donor process and what’s involved:

1. It doesn’t matter what you look like

Don’t think you’d be a desirable sperm donor? Think again! Everyone who needs donor sperm has their own idea of their ‘perfect’ sperm donor. Which could be you. Because In most cases when it comes to sperm donor selection, personality becomes the priority above everything else.

We welcome men as sperm donors who already have families, are gay or straight, single or married, student or professional.

2. You get a fertility check as part of the application process

How fertile are you? Assessing your sperm is one of the first things we do when you apply to be a Semovo sperm donor. We check your sperm count, how well your sperm moves and look at all the essential things that can affect your sperm’s ability to fertilise an egg. We will give you a full fertility report and let you know if your sperm is suitable for donation.

3. You receive expenses payments

Sperm donors cannot legally be paid for their sperm in the UK, but you will receive compensation of £45 every time you donate. This is designed to cover your time and any expenses incurred through donating sperm, such as travel to and from your nearest Semovo clinic.

4. You are just the sperm donor, not the Dad

When you donate through Semovo, a licensed sperm bank, you are legally protected and have no parental or financial responsibility for any children born.

The cases where sperm donors become legal fathers usually happen because men have donated sperm privately to someone, outside of a clinic or sperm bank setting.

5. You are limited in the number of children you can create

Donating through a licensed sperm bank in the UK also means that you are legally limited to creating 10 separate families only. You also have the right to find out when a child is born from your sperm, the year of birth and gender. This means that you won’t have lots of children in the world created from your sperm, that you do not know about.

6. You might hear from the child you helped to be born one day

Donor-conceived children do have the right to find out who you are when they turn 18, if they wish to know. Many of our sperm donors say that they would be very happy to hear from the child they helped to be born, if that child decides to get in touch in future.

7. The sperm donor process takes time

Before you start donating any sperm, there are important tests that need to be done first. These tests assess your suitability to donate and check your health and family medical history. Your first samples are also kept in quarantine for a while, so we can be sure that your sperm is safe to be used in treatment.

8. Sperm donors are given counselling

Why would you need counselling to donate sperm? Because we need to ensure that you understand all the implications of being a sperm donor before you donate, so you can be absolutely sure that sperm donation is the right thing for you to do.

We’ll talk you through everything you need to know about anonymity, your rights and the rights of the person using your sperm and any children they have.

Donate sperm with Semovo

If you want to be a sperm donor with Semovo and give someone the hope of a family, you need to be:

• Aged 18-45
• In good health
• Know – or be able to find out – your family medical history

You can choose to donate sperm at whichever Semovo sperm bank is most convenient for you. We have sperm banks in London, Manchester city centre, South Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Glasgow.

Learn about the sperm donation process with Semovo and read our sperm donor FAQs to find out more.

If you are ready to apply to be a sperm donor, complete our simple and easy online form and we will be in touch.

If you have any questions, we’re always happy to help. Call our team on 0345 266 1272 or message us through our Semovo Facebook page.