Discover how California Cryobank’s updated search experience makes finding the right sperm donor uniquely personal and manageable, with enhanced filters, profile comparisons and tools to help you navigate your family-building journey.
California Cryobank® is making it even easier to find a sperm donor in 2026 – here’s how
Want to see the new look and find out how California Cryobank® is making it even easier to find a sperm donor that’s right for you? Keep reading.
Bonding with your sperm donor-conceived baby: Jack’s guide
Leaning on deep experience from California Cryobank, here are my thoughts and lived memories on building emotional bonds with your baby. From the earliest weeks of pregnancy through toddlerhood and beyond, with real-life scenarios and actionable ideas for every stage.
Can you use the same sperm donor twice? Family limits and donor reserve options explained by a leading international sperm bank
Whatever the background to your family-building journey, the decision to use a sperm donor won’t have been a small one. Starting out tends to throw up a lot of questions – some more immediate and donor specific, but there are some very important ones that might not come up right away, including can you use the same sperm donor twice, or even more?
Sperm & egg donation – where’s the UK at ahead of Pride 2025?
Our founder-CEO Eloise (and donor sperm mama of three) recently caught up with Cat Brown, Donor Programme Lead at TFP Fertility UK. What are the UK’s top egg and sperm bank questions – and how can banks, fertility clinics and us at team TRB support you?
Your guide to sperm and egg donation in Europe – the process, costs, and where to travel for donor IVF
Clinic fit. Donor availability. Shorter wait times. More of us in the US and UK are looking into donor sperm and donor egg IVF in Europe – and the list of reasons why just keeps getting longer. Dive into the specifics with our 101 guide.
Anonymous vs. open donors – why US sperm donation is rarely anonymous, in 2024
What does this mean for you and your family, as prospective donor sperm recipients? We asked the team at California Cryobank, a leading global donor sperm bank for over 45 years, for their expert insight.
Is Donor Conception Right for Me?
If you're considering using an egg or sperm donor for fertility treatment, you might be wondering if it's right for you. Perhaps you're in a same-sex relationship, planning on being a solo parent, creating a fertility safety net, or maybe you or your partner have fertility problems. Whatever your reasons for using donor gametes, speaking [...]
How a Lesbian Couple, a Heterosexual Couple and a Solo Parent Chose Their Sperm Donors
Choosing a sperm donor - three unique perspectives (& where to start) At The Ribbon Box, we know that choosing a sperm donor is a very personal decision and there’s no one-size-fits all approach. Settling on your chosen sperm donor might be the result of months combing through profiles, or maybe you’ll come across a [...]
Having fertility treatment while dating – how I navigated
So you're worried your biological clock is ticking? You're acutely aware that all your friends are settling down. After each bad date, you ask yourself: "Was he really that bad?" Just me? Of course not - thanks, society. As women approach and traverse their thirties, many report feeling pressured to find a partner, settle down, [...]
The Importance of DNA Ancestry When Choosing Your Sperm Donor
Over recent years, developments in DNA testing services have become increasingly popular. And why wouldn't it be? Understanding the ancestry of our parents gives a better insight into our genetic heritage. Although for some people struggling with infertility and wanting to use donor gametes in fertility treatment, not knowing the ancestral history of a donor [...]
What’s it Like to Donate Sperm? A Sperm Donor Tells All.
Ever wondered why someone would become a sperm donor or how sperm donation works? Earlier this year, TRB's Founder, Eloise spoke with one of California Cryobank's sperm donors about his experience of sperm donation. If you missed the podcast, read our article below to learn more about why our podcast guest became a sperm donor. [...]
How A Genetic Mutation Could Have Cost Grace Her Donor
You may know Grace and Catherine (previous guests on the The Ribbon Box podcast) as the couple who were one of our eight successful applicants for a round of free IVF. For Grace and Catherine, the process of selecting a donor was not easy by any means - the experience was arduous and caused some [...]
What My Donor Conception Journey Sparked
Donor conception can be such an extra difficult path when it comes to fertility treatment. At The Ribbon Box, we want those who are considering donor conception to have the opportunity to read about a variety of success stories, so that you can see for yourself why donor conception could be a great way to [...]
What To Do After Experiencing Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a hard enough experience without the added mystery of why it is happening. Finding a solution to recurrent pregnancy loss is challenging, because there are just so many factors that can contribute to it. For this reason, The Ribbon Box have turned to leading US fertility clinic, ORM Fertility to [...]
Reciprocal IVF – What Is It and What are the Phases? By Clinica Tambre
As part of Lesbian Visibility Week, we hear from one of our trusted partner fertility clinics, Tambre, in Madrid, Spain - about the ROPA Method (otherwise known as ‘Reciprocal IVF’ in the UK). Clinica Tambre explains what it is, who it is offered to, and what the phases of fertility treatment are with donor sperm. [...]
How I feel about being donor-conceived – Bee’s story
We hear from Bee, who in her thirties discovered she is donor conceived. Bee talks about how she feels about being donor conceived, as well as the positives and negatives of donor conception.
Sperm Donation – Why Go to a Sperm Bank to Find a Donor?
Today we hear from fertility specialist, Jaime Shamonki M.D., who is the Chief Medical Officer of Generate Life Sciences at California Cryobank and is a devoted advocate for family equality rights and newborn stem cell education. She shares her take on using a sperm donor (especially during the pandemic), including screening for genetic and infectious [...]
Q&A – Eloise, Founder of TRB, Tells Her Story
I am the founder of The Ribbon Box and a mother to three kids, thanks to sperm donor conception. My husband has Klinefelter Syndrome, which means he has azoospermia (no sperm), therefore making him infertile. From this early age, we’re making sure to share with our children everything about their conception – in an age [...]
What to Consider When Choosing a Sperm Donor
Founder of The Ribbon Box, Eloise, openly shares her experiences of her husband's unsuccessful micro-TESE sperm extraction and their subsequent decision to choose a sperm donor. And whilst Eloise and her husband now have three children via sperm donation, when they were picking a sperm donor they felt "totally overwhelmed". A few months before joining [...]
Using donor sperm changed our lives – Toyah and Ricardo’s story
Toyah and Ricardo candidly share their unsuccessful experience of trying to conceive, a heart-breaking male infertility diagnosis and moving onto donor sperm through Cryos International. Over to Toyah and Ricardo. Toyah and Ricardo from The Netherlands were dreaming of starting a family together. When the time was right, they began trying for a baby. After [...]
Sperm donation stories – why become a donor? Quotes, experiences, motivations & more
Sperm donation stories always start with a core motivation. Why become a sperm donor, and what are the misconceptions donors want to address?
Building a family through reciprocal IVF – the Baileys’ story
Discover how the IVF reciprocal technique made the Baileys’ dream of parenthood a reality. A heartfelt journey of love, resilience & modern science.
Laura-Rose Thorogood on LGBTQ+ family building, and being ‘The Other Mother’
What happens when you think you understand and think you’re ready for the challenges you’ll face when building a family in a different way, but then something or someone comes out of the blue and knocks you off your feet? The lovely Laura-Rose from LGBT Mummies has spoken openly about her experience with how LGBT+ [...]
