Sperm bought online arrives in a dirty coffee flask
Users of DIY sperm donation websites are playing Russian roulette with unregulated sperm samples
Women opting to source sperm samples from unregulated websites are putting themselves at serious risk of infection.
Sperm donations made to a clinic are tested thoroughly in relation to sexual health, infections and genetics. Donors are regulated in terms of their alcohol intake and must visit the clinic twice a week for a month.
In shocking contrast, websites such as babydonor.com, co-parent-search.com and the grossly named Facebook group, DIY Baby, enables self-professed donors to register for free and simply offer up their sperm. Terrifyingly this often comes with a query as to whether the women would like to be naturally or artificially inseminated and a mobile number for them to text. For those choosing the artificial option, samples have been known to arrive in a coffee flask – with dregs of coffee still in the bottom.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) are keen to impress upon male donors that unlicensed donations means that legally they’re the father of the children and can be called upon for monetary support.
Girls aged between 18 and 25 are the most common users of these sites, which is a scary statistic when offers of “cuddling beforehand” and face-to-face meetings are being made.
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