Donor Sperm – Cryos Answers Your Questions

As donor conception is close to our hearts, having used a sperm donor personally, we thought it would be useful to create a fertility blog where our readers’ questions are answered by the sperm and egg bank experts, Cryos International. Read on to find out about donor sperm pricing, the donor sperm selection process, as well as the legal rights and emotional perspective.

Over to Cryos International

www.cryosinternational.com | @cryosinternational

Donor Sperm Prices

Can you use a sperm donor from Cryos in the UK?

Cryos has a large selection of donors who are screened to meet all requirements in the UK. When you visit Cryos’ website, and select your treatment country, you will only be shown a selection of donors that you can use for fertility treatment in the UK. For that reason, you will be sure that the donor you like can be used in the UK.

What is the cost of donor sperm?

To know more about the prices, you can start by visiting Cryos’ Donor Search, where you can see the different prices of sperm straws from all donors. Besides the price of the straw(s) you must also pay for a Quota Reservation and shipping of the straws to your fertility clinic.

The cost depends on several parameters. Do you want a donor with a Basic Profile or an Extended Profile? Do you want a donor with access to photos of him as an adult? Does your clinic prefer to use ICI or IUI sperm straws? And which MOT is required for the type of fertility treatment you will have?

To give you examples of the prices, an IUI MOT10 sperm straw from a donor with an Extended Profile for use in the UK costs around €750 excl. VAT. An ICI MOT10 sperm straw from a donor with a Basic Profile for use in the UK costs around €400 excl. VAT. If you are not yet sure what MOT, IUI and all the other abbreviations mean, Cryos’ Customer Service Consultants are ready to receive your call. They can help you get an idea of what you should expect to spend depending on your specific situation and needs.

Related Article – Fertility Treatment Costs: The Ultimate Breakdown

How many straws should you buy realistically?

This depends on the treatment you will have. Generally, Cryos recommends that you reserve sperm straws from your donor for 5-6 treatment cycles per pregnancy. Some women get pregnant in the first round, but many women need a few tries before getting pregnant.

What support is available when deciding to use donor sperm?

You can reach Cryos’ Customer Service Consultants all weekdays. You can write an e-mail, chat, call us or even book a call. We are happy to provide you with personal support all the way from the decision to pregnancy. Most of our customers have a lot of questions, especially when making the decision to use a donor. We are ready to answer all your questions to make you feel comfortable in your choice.

We also recommend that you seek groups on for example Facebook, where you can talk to people going through the same as you. You can join Cryos’ group Family Dreams with more than 4.000 members, or you can search for other support groups online.

Related Article – Sperm Donation: What Motivates Men to Become Sperm Donors?

Sperm Donor Legalities

What legal rights does the sperm donor have?

A sperm donor does not have any parental rights over children who have come to the world with help from his donations. A donor will never be considered the legal father of the donor children. Additionally, a donor will never obtain any information from Cryos about the children born with his donations. This means that it is entirely up to the child to decide if he/she wishes to contact the donor when he/she turns 18, if the donor is ID Release.

Related Article – Eight Things I’ve Learnt Whilst Raising a Donor-Conceived Child

The Emotional Perspective

When is a good time to speak to your child about being donor-conceived?

Most parents of donor-conceived children are concerned with the question of when to tell their child about the donor. This is, of course, up to each family to decide, but here is some advice. Studies made by Professor of Family Research, Susan Golombok, show that it is best to be open and tell the child about the donor early in life – preferably before school age.

Donor Conception Network recommends telling the children before the age of five to let them integrate knowledge about their history when growing up. Donor Conception Network suggests that ideally, donor-conceived children should grow up never knowing when they did not now.

How do people talk to their children about the donor?

Telling your child about the donor is a personal matter. When and how you prefer to talk to your child about the donor is of course very individual and might also depend on your family situation. If you are a single mother, your child will probably start asking questions very early, whereas if you are a heterosexual couple, you need to initiate the conversation with your child.

No matter your family situation, we believe that it is a good idea to tell the child’s story many times from an early age to make it a natural thing to talk about.

Related Article – How Using Donor Sperm Changed Our Lives

To make the conversation easier, consider using one of the many great children’s books about the subject. You can see a list of Cryos’ recommended children’s books about donor-conception here. The list includes books that explain the story from different perspectives such as single parents, two mums, heterosexual couples, etc.

Perspectives from donor-conceived people and parents

On Cryos’ blog, you can find personal stories written by donor-conceived people and parents to donor children. We add more personal stories continuously. Here you get some inspiration for articles to read on Cryos’ blog:

• Being a dad to a donor-conceived child: I’m lucky to be a father

• Donor child Emma: I always felt like the most wanted child on the planet

• Being The Non-Bio Mum to a donor child – Lisa’s story

 Related Article – Infertility Man: The Seven Mindsets of Infertility