Requirements to Donate Sperm

To be a sperm donor you should be aged between 18 and 40* years old and free of serious medical disability and without a family history of inherited disorder(s).  You should be able to commit some time each week over a period of three to six months whilst you are taking part in the programme.  Moreove, you should be willing to keep in contact with the centre for up to one year if you are accepted.

Who cannot be donors?

There are a number of reasons why a man cannot be accepted as a sperm donor.  This is to minimise the risks of transmitting infection to those women inseminated with the donated sperm and to minimise the risk of transmitted common genetic diseases or malformations to any children born.  Reasons for being unable to accept a man as a sperm donor include:

Age:

Because there is evidence to suggest that genetic abnormalities are more common with older fathers, most men who donate are under 40* years of age.

*Some clinics accept donors up to the age of 45.

Adoption:

People who are adopted can donate only if there is availability of a family medical history. It is necessary to examine their family history for evidence of serious inherited disorders that could be passed on to any children born following DI.

Promiscuity:

Anyone who is sexually promiscuous is of increased risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection.  Although each accepted donor is screened at the beginning and the end of the donation process, few clinics would risk taking on as a donor someone who may subsequently acquire an infection.

Drugs:

Certain medicines as well as recreational drugs can affect the production of sperm or in some cases damage sperm.  Moreover, the use of some recreational drugs can lead to sexual promiscuity and the risks that this carries (outlined above).

Heritable conditions:

Because some birth defects (e.g. spina bifida, cleft palate, hare lip) and serious diseases (e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, schizophrenia, asthma and haemophilia) are genetically linked, it is not possible to accept as a donor any individual where there is a family history of these conditions.

Time:

Becoming a sperm donor involves a regular commitment over several months, as well as being able to keep in touch with the centre for about one year; a clinic would not normally be able to accept as a donor anyone who cannot make this commitment.

Previous donations:

Because the number of children that can be born following the use of a donors sperm is regulated by law, a centre would not accept as a donor an individual who has previously donated at another centre.

To speak to someone in confidence about how to become a sperm donor, contact our confidential helpline:

0845 226 9193