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Plus we answer your questions about sperm donation.

Donating sperm is an extraordinary thing to do. You can literally transform another person’s life, giving them the gift of the family they so dearly want. The Fertility Centre at Whittington Hospital has just opened a brand new NHS sperm bank to allow you to do just that.

The selfless act of donating sperm can help many different kinds of people; same-sex couples eager to start their family, single people who long for a child and would-be parents who are struggling with fertility or other medical issues.

One new mother revealed the difference sperm donation had made in her life. She told us:

“The hardest but greatest decision of my life was deciding to use donor sperm. My two beautiful children were conceived using sperm from a kind donor – the greatest gift anyone could give, completing my world.”

Intrigued? Here are the answers to a few questions you might have to help you understand the process further.

How difficult is it to donate my sperm?

The process of donating sperm is surprisingly easy and convenient, as Laboratory Manager Erica Foster explains:

“The donation process itself is relatively simple, and can be completed in under two months. We offer evening and weekend appointments, designed to fit around the donor’s schedule.”

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Will I be paid for donating my sperm?

While payment for sperm donation is not legally allowed in the UK, donors will receive £35 compensation for every clinic visit.

Will I have any legal obligations to a child conceived using my sperm?

If a child is conceived using a donor’s sperm, for the first 18 years of that child’s life the donor’s identity is completely anonymous. When the child reaches the age of 18, they are legally entitled to know the identity of both their biological parents. However, donors have absolutely no legal responsibility for the child at any stage.

Why should I donate sperm to the Whittington Hospital sperm bank?

We’ll let Consultant Gynaecologist Gidon Lieberman take this one:

“Fertility patients need easy access to UK-originated sperm within a not-for-profit framework. Whether a man donates to a private clinic or to ours, the financial remuneration is the same, and is set by the regulating authority (the HFEA). I would hope that men would prefer to donate their sperm to a not-for-profit organisation, where all proceeds are used to support local services.”

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I’m interested in donating sperm. What should I do next?

If you’re a man interested in sperm donation and aged between 18 and 40, visit whittington.nhs.net/spermdonor, email donorbank.whittington@nhs.net, or call 07979 548183 for further information.

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