Are there any Dopers who are also sperm donors? (I’m talking about donating to a lab for artificial insemination purposes, not the one-night stand baby thing, ya perv)! Or do you know any guys who have done it? (I know that anonymity is very important for some… so even if it was you,you could still say it was your friend…)
For those who are willing to answer, what are your motivations to do it? How do you feel about the whole experience, the possibilities it enables, etc.? Do you still think about the possible children out there from your sperm? Or any other thoughts, stories, etc.?
Sperm donors (and friends), I would really like to hear from you! Thanks!!!
I was a donor during graduate school. I was having lunch at the Medical College of VA and noticed a request for donors that had been posted on a bulletin board.
I had to complete an extensive application, underwent a complete physical, and got paid $300 for 10 deposits (hey, I was doing it anyway, why not get paid for it?). One of the drs. even said “You’ve got really terrific semen.” So, at least I’ve got that to be proud of.
It was purely a financial decision - I really needed the money. My then-wife wasn’t happy that some other woman may have my first child. Oddly enough, I was telling wife #2 about this just this weekend and she said she wouldn’t have been too happy either. It would have never crossed my mind to have a hangup about lots of children I don’t know running around the world.
I was a sperm donor in college and for a short while afterwards. I initially did it for the easy income but came to very much like the idea of helping someone have a baby. The concept of propagating my genes kind of appealed to me too.
I wonder sometimes about whether any of those donations came to fruition. I could have children who are about 18 years old by now if so.
Stories? Well, I had a couple of friends in school who were doing the same thing, and one time one of them asked me to pick up his donation on my way when I took mine. That kind of icked me out, so I declined and asked him to drive his own sperm.
And I would note that the sperm clinics need to update their pornography collection on a regular basis.
The sperm count is not the only critical factor: they also a very interested in whether your sperm can pass the ‘freeze test’. If your first sample does not, then they won’t use you as a donor. I’m sure there are other factors they look for, but that was the one they seemed to emphasize, in addition to count.
And it’s a short-term career at best: once you’re over 25 or 30, they typically won’t accept your donations anymore because your count isn’t high enough any longer.