The shortage of sperm donors causes problems for many fertility patients, but apparently a novel project aimed at helping to solve the problem in Ireland was so overwhelmed with volunteers that it couldn't cope and has had to close.
The aim of this pilot scheme was to offer anyone who was willing to become a sperm donor free tickets to the European music festival of their choice, which would be paid for by fertility clinics. However, the website offering the deal was swamped with men wanting sperm donation packs, and the scheme had to be put in hold.
It wasn't entirely clear from the details I read how the samples were to be screened, or what information about the donors was to be kept, but it does raise interesting questions about how we recruit sperm donors, and whether schemes like this may be a way to generate interest at the very least.
The website itself is now closed to new donors, but you can have a look at it at www.spermfortickets.com
(PS If you're interested in this, read the comments below - the sperm for tickets scheme wasn't ever functional, although many men did try to register - perhaps there's a lesson to be learnt here about how to recruit more donors!)
Showing posts with label sperm donors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sperm donors. Show all posts
Monday, 17 March 2008
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Sperm donor fathers
There's much controversy over the case of a sperm donor who is being made to pay child support for two children he fathered for a lesbian couple. It wasn't until the lesbian couple split up that the Child Support Agency asked him to take a paternity test, and then demanded that he pay maintenance.
Men who donate sperm to licensed fertility clinics are not responsible for any children conceived using their donation, but that's not the case if you make your own arrangements. The man in this case says he would never have agreed to donate sperm to the couple had he realised the potential consequences.
Perhaps more worrying for both sperm donors and prospective parents, this law also affects those who donate to online fertility services. Many prospective parents use these websites which appear to offer confidentiality and quick, easy access to donor sperm, without realising that they are unlicensed. Donors who sell them sperm are not made aware that they could end being legally responsible for children in the future.
For prospective parents, there may also be questions about proper screening when using online donor services, as they don't follow the protocols used to check sperm is infection-free in licensed fertility clinics. Sometimes, going through the proper channels can be a slow and frustrating process, but the safeguards of our strictly regulated system do offer a degree of security you may not find elsewhere.
Men who donate sperm to licensed fertility clinics are not responsible for any children conceived using their donation, but that's not the case if you make your own arrangements. The man in this case says he would never have agreed to donate sperm to the couple had he realised the potential consequences.
Perhaps more worrying for both sperm donors and prospective parents, this law also affects those who donate to online fertility services. Many prospective parents use these websites which appear to offer confidentiality and quick, easy access to donor sperm, without realising that they are unlicensed. Donors who sell them sperm are not made aware that they could end being legally responsible for children in the future.
For prospective parents, there may also be questions about proper screening when using online donor services, as they don't follow the protocols used to check sperm is infection-free in licensed fertility clinics. Sometimes, going through the proper channels can be a slow and frustrating process, but the safeguards of our strictly regulated system do offer a degree of security you may not find elsewhere.
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Warnings over sperm donor service
A recent investigation by The Guardian's science correspondent, James Randerson, has revealed that online sperm delivery companies may be operating illegally, and putting women who are using their services at risk.
The online companies provide donated sperm for single women or lesbian couples who want to try to get pregnant. They offer to deliver fresh sperm samples from anonymous donors to your door by courier within a couple of hours of being produced. However, this means that the sperm is unlikely to have been thoroughly screened for HIV.
In properly regulated clinics, a sperm sample is taken and frozen for sixth months, during which time the donor is tested twice for HIV, as it can take that long for the virus to show up in tests. The sperm delivery company used by The Guardian tells potential donors they can give their first sample just days after being tested for sexually transmitted infections.
The Guardian has passed details of the investigation to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, but the story highlights the dangers of buying sperm online. See more details here.
The online companies provide donated sperm for single women or lesbian couples who want to try to get pregnant. They offer to deliver fresh sperm samples from anonymous donors to your door by courier within a couple of hours of being produced. However, this means that the sperm is unlikely to have been thoroughly screened for HIV.
In properly regulated clinics, a sperm sample is taken and frozen for sixth months, during which time the donor is tested twice for HIV, as it can take that long for the virus to show up in tests. The sperm delivery company used by The Guardian tells potential donors they can give their first sample just days after being tested for sexually transmitted infections.
The Guardian has passed details of the investigation to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, but the story highlights the dangers of buying sperm online. See more details here.
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