Should I use a sperm donor? Your FAQs answered, with the team at Pride Angel

It’s a question many people find themselves asking (and one we’re personally familiar with). TRB founder Eloise turned to sperm donation to help build her family due to male factor infertility.

For some, it’s an unexpected twist, when pursuing solo parenthood without a partner. For others, it’s the only route – whether you’re in an LGBTQ+ relationship, or an infertile couple needing third-party fertility support.

Choosing a sperm donor – what are my options?

You can choose an unknown (or ‘anonymous’) donor via a dedicated sperm or egg bank, or directly through your fertility clinic. Many people also opt for known donors, often found through sperm donor websites such as Pride Angel.

Known or private sperm donation can offer several advantages over traditional routes. It allows recipients to understand more about a donor’s personality and characteristics, and – if agreed – maintain some level of ongoing contact.

To explore this further, we’ve partnered with Pride Angel, a service designed to help people find the right donor or co-parent match, while ensuring access to key information around health screening and legal considerations.

Read on as we explore when sperm donation might be the right step, the differences between ‘known’ and ‘private’ sperm donors, and how their service can support you.

What is sperm donation?

The definition of sperm donation is fairly self-explanatory, and it’s a widely recognised term when it comes to fertility support.

That said, there may be people (like you, reading this now) who haven’t previously considered it and want to better understand what it involves when trying to conceive, including the different routes available.

What are the different types of sperm donation?

You can choose a sperm donor via a sperm bank or fertility clinic, where you may be offered the following options:

• Anonymous donation – not possible in the UK and only available in certain countries (meaning you’re not able to contact the donor in the future)
• Open donation – where your child can contact the donor via the sperm bank from the age of 18

Alternatively, you can choose a private sperm donor. This is someone who donates through a direct, private arrangement with an individual.

A known sperm donor is someone you already know, such as a friend or extended family member, or someone you meet and build a connection with through a donor matching platform such as Pride Angel.

In these situations, you’re typically able to have open discussions about expectations, such as whether there will be any form of ongoing contact. This applies whether insemination takes place at home or through a fertility clinic with a known donor.

What is the main criteria for sperm donation?

As with many aspects of fertility treatment, sperm donors are expected to meet specific criteria. This reflects the significance of the process and the need for it to be carried out safely and responsibly.

Sperm donors are generally required to be:

• Between 18 and 41 years old
• In good overall health (with no serious medical conditions)
• Non-smokers
• Available for twelve visits to their designated fertility clinic over a three-month period
• Willing to consent to creating up to ten families

These requirements can vary depending on the fertility clinic, so it’s important to check the specific criteria of the clinic you’re working with.

It’s also worth noting that the age range above applies to clinic-based donation. For known donors, criteria are typically agreed between the donor and recipient, provided the sperm is viable.

Should I use a sperm donor?

For many people, it ultimately comes down to having a choice.

In some situations, donor conception may be the only available route to parenthood. But for others, it’s about knowing there are different paths to building a family, and having the freedom to explore the one that feels right for you.

At its heart, sperm donation offers an opportunity to pursue something you may have wanted for a very long time. While it may not look like the traditional path to parenthood, it is a valid and increasingly common one. And for many families, a deeply positive experience.

Pride Angel was founded by professional scientists Erika and Karen, who have personal experience of conceiving through a donor and raising children as a lesbian couple.

If you’re wondering whether donor conception could be the right step for you, their ‘Pride Angel Journeys’ section offers a powerful insight into the experiences of real families who have used the service.

Reading these stories gives a sense of just how many lives have been changed through donor conception – and for many people, that in itself can be incredibly reassuring.

What are the pros and cons?

There are many reasons why people choose to use a sperm donor, and – as with any major family-building decision – there are both positives and practical considerations to think through.

The pros of using a sperm donor

For lesbian couples and solo mums, choosing a sperm donor can make pregnancy and parenthood possible. It offers the chance to experience carrying a baby and growing a family, regardless of relationship status or sexuality. Equally, for gay couples using an egg donor and surrogate, donor conception can help make the journey to fatherhood possible.

For couples facing infertility, sperm donation can also provide a much-needed sense of hope and a potential path forward after a difficult fertility journey.

When it comes to using a known sperm donor, many people find comfort in knowing the donor personally, particularly if they are a trusted friend or family member. This can provide reassurance around certain personal qualities, characteristics, or family medical history.

Having a known donor can also make it easier to ask questions in the future, particularly around health or medical background.

With a private sperm donor, even if you don’t know the donor personally, you may still be able to search for someone with attributes, values, or characteristics that feel important to you.

The potential cons of using a sperm donor

There are also practical, emotional, and legal considerations to be aware of.

For example, if you choose to use a known donor through a fertility clinic, the process is likely to be more expensive than home insemination. However, fertility clinics carry out important screening procedures, including STD testing, which helps minimise medical risks.

In some cases, using a known donor may also lead to complexities later on, particularly if expectations around involvement in the child’s life are not clearly discussed and agreed from the outset.

For those pursuing private sperm donation, the process of researching and speaking with potential donors can also feel overwhelming and emotionally demanding.

There are important medical considerations, too. Conceiving at home with unscreened sperm can carry risks, including sexually transmitted infections and hereditary conditions, which is why screening and professional guidance are strongly recommended wherever possible.

Services such as Pride Angel aim to help intended parents navigate these decisions more safely and confidently, with access to information around matching, health screening and legal considerations.

Who are Pride Angel?

Pride Angel are the team behind one of the world’s leading donor connection websites, offering fertility support and resources to a community of more than 90,000 registered members.

Co-founder Erika Tranfield explains: “Our aim was to create a website which provides all the information and resources necessary to help individuals and couples make the right choice regarding donor and fertility treatment options.”

The platform allows users to search a large database of private sperm and egg donors, while also connecting people with fertility clinics, fertility lawyers, fertility experts and wider support services. These include counselling, complementary therapies and natural fertility support.

For those considering conceiving at home through DIY artificial insemination, Pride Angel also provides information around health screening, legal donor agreements, fertility testing and insemination kits available through their online shop.

How does Pride Angel work?

The first step is creating a personal profile on the website. From there, users can specify what they are looking for – whether that’s a sperm donor, embryo donor, egg recipient, or a male or female co-parent.

Once your profile is complete, you’re able to browse Pride Angel’s worldwide database of donors, recipients and co-parents.

The platform also includes a resources centre, featuring news, advice and events, alongside a shop offering insemination kits, screening and testing options.

Keen to learn more? Explore Pride Angel’s resources and register online, for free.