How to Choose a Sperm Bank

When using a sperm donor to build your family, there are important decisions to make regarding the sperm bank you will use, what type of sperm donor you will use, the qualities you are searching for in a donor, and how to search for your ideal candidate. This process may seem overwhelming, but for those couples and individuals who use third-party reproduction services to have a baby, the process is made simple by working with a qualified sperm bank with a stellar reputation and qualified, experienced leadership.

What should I look for in a sperm bank?

There are many important questions that prospective parents should ask when selecting a sperm bank.

First, future parents should understand the qualities of a reputable institution. For example, they should consider how long the sperm bank has been in business and the leadership team who runs the sperm bank. Prospective parents should also ask about the sperm bank’s donation percentage rates. A high number of accepted applicants can indicate that the bank’s standards for becoming a donor are lower than average. At the Fertility Center of California (FCC), we accept less than 3 percent of the men who apply to become a sperm donor.

Clients should be fully aware of the type of screenings that sperm donors are required to undergo, how detailed their medical records must be and what blood testing is performed in order to determine if they are a viable candidate. Any high-quality sperm bank should be entirely honest up front about how their laboratory procedures are run, including how sperm is stored and whether the most advanced laboratory techniques are implemented.

The Fertility Center of California is thorough and reassuring when explaining its procedures to prospective parents. Read five reasons to choose FCC here.

Fast facts for future parents using a sperm donor to build their family:

• The Fertility Center of California works with unknown (anonymous) and directed (known) sperm donors. An unknown sperm donor is selected from our sperm donor database, and a directed sperm donor is someone close to you, such as a family member or friend, who offers to donate.
• You can search FCC’s sperm donor database at no charge. For full access to sperm donor profiles, you can subscribe here.
• In addition to sperm storage, FCC offers long-term and short-term cryopreservation storage for eggs and embryos.
• FCC has been in operation since 1980, providing experienced, quality fertility care to individuals and couples for more than 35 years.

Contact the Fertility Center of California to request a consultation for our sperm donor program.