Why Are Sperm Donors Needed?

Male factor infertility

Male factor infertility is a common reason for a couple to use donor sperm to build their family. There are various factors that can contribute to an infertility diagnosis in men. These factors can include illness such as cancer, hormonal disorders, sexual dysfunction, obstruction, or an injury to reproductive organs. Male infertility is often treatable, but in cases where treatment is unsuccessful or not applicable, couples will turn to a sperm donor.

Searching for a sperm donor after facing an infertility diagnosis or after unsuccessful treatment can be a challenging process. The Fertility Center of California (FCC) understands this and offers a free sperm donor search to help start the process.

LGBT couples

For same-sex female couples, sperm donation is a necessity of their journey to parenthood. Differing from a heterosexual couple, whose infertility may strike them as a surprise, same-sex female couples know the need for third-party reproduction as soon as they choose to have a baby.

All couples who use a sperm donor, including same-sex female couples, can choose whether the donor is known, called directed, or unknown, called anonymous. Sometimes, a couple will prefer to know their donor, such as a family member or close friend. For others, they prefer to have an anonymous sperm donor who they choose after viewing the donor’s profile.

Female single parents

For single women who wish to have a child without a partner, sperm donation provides an ideal opportunity to share a genetic link to the baby by using her own eggs with donor sperm. Many single women will search for a sperm donor using a variety of criteria. Some have a very specific “look” in mind, some value education or athletics, and some choose to focus their donor search on a certain ethnicity in order to match their own. Sometimes, all factors are considered in order to find the ideal donor, though we advise not to do so because very specific criteria may significantly hamper the number of profiles that meet your requirements.

We encourage those searching for a donor to select a few “must-have” requirements and keep an open mind while reviewing profiles.

If you would like to request an initial consultation for our sperm donor program, please contact FCC today.