This is a situation whereby a person provides sperm or eggs to be used by someone else to achieve reproduction. Some people find the reproduction process easy and are able to have children naturally but for some people, they have to go the line of assisted reproduction. For instance, same sex couples cannot have children together so they may prefer to go this route, people suffering from health issues and cannot conceive naturally and people who are single by choice or by fate, yet want children could also tow this route. Some of the common forms of assisted reproduction include-:
- Sperm donation-: Men donate sperm for women to use for artificial insemination or for surrogacy.
- Ovum donation-: A woman donates her eggs to be used for In vitro fertilization by another woman.
- Embryo donation-: A woman may also donate her unused embryos after achieving success with fertility and is no longer interested in having more babies.
- Surrogacy-: A woman carries the children of another couple through embryo transplants.
A sperm bank is responsible for collecting these items and freezing them for long term storage. This is how a Sperm and Egg Bank works-:
Starting a Sperm and Egg Bank – How It Works
1. Evaluating donors-: First, you would have to look for donors and evaluate them for health, legality and safety. You would want to ensure that the donors are-:
- Not less than 18 years old
- Not suffering from any chronic health issues
- Ready to provide their family medical records up to three generations back to ensure that there is no severe health challenge running in the family
- Of good height, shape and size
- Are of average looks
- Not mentally challenged
- Graduates or enrolled in an educational program (optional)
2. Receiving Samples-: When a potential donor has passed your initial evaluation tests, you would take it a little further by collecting and testing semen samples for sperm donors. You would test the sperm for sexually transmitted diseases, sperm count and genetic diseases. Screening is usually very strict, rigorous, and may take several months.
3. Signing Contracts-: When a donor has passed through the evaluation process, a contract would be signed, spelling out the terms and conditions of the contract and to ensure that the donor is committed to the program, The screening process for donors on a contract is usually continuous, as long as a donor continues to donate to the sperm bank, then he would have to undergo periodic screenings to protect potential recipients.
4. Payment of Donors-: The processes of paying donors differ from one sperm bank to another. Most sperm banks pay between $75 and $100 depending on the health and physical profile of the donor and this payment is made as soon as the sperm donations are received. However, some sperm banks pay only when there has been a recipient.
5. Receipt of donations-: Donations can be taken at the sperm bank or through overnight priority mail collection kits. When donations are to be taken at the sperm bank, the donor would be asked to ejaculate into clean, dry containers right there at the bank after which it is collected for testing and storage. But some donors may not be comfortable with the idea of jerking off at the sperm bank to produce semen, so they would rather do it in their homes in a special sterile container for shipment.
6. Preservation-: The sperms are preserved using a method known as Cryopreservation. The semen would be prepared with a solution that would prevent damage and then placed in vials, sealed and frozen. The semen cannot expire as long as they are properly stored and frozen.
7. Anonymous donors-: Some donors may choose to remain anonymous and never reveal their identities to the recipients. These recipients would only communicate with the sperm bank and never with the recipient.
8. Giving to recipients-: Potential recipients will be asked to take a look at donor profiles and select the most suitable donor for them.
9. Making money-: Don’t let the ‘donation’ fool you; there’s nothing free about this service, the sperm bank would pay the donors and of course the recipients would pay the sperm bank. It’s just like acting as a middleman between the donor and the recipient. Also, you would be paid for all the tests and storage of the sperm.
3 Major Challenges of Starting a Sperm and Egg Bank
The most common challenges that sperm and egg banks face include:
a. The society has not fully accepted assisted reproduction and donations for fertility. When I was conducting my research to write this article, I saw that a lot of people frowned upon this kind of business; if only they would think about the lives being saved and the joy being brought to homes by sperm and egg banks.
b. Another challenge is the ability to get healthy donors. Most healthy, suitable people may not buy the idea of selling their sperm and it now becomes a challenge to get healthy, willing donors.
c. Also, the level of awareness for sperm and egg donations is still very low. A lot of people are still not aware that they can make money from donating their sperm.
Starting a Sperm and Egg Bank – Sample Business Plan Template
To start your own sperm and egg bank, you need to carry out a research to determine how viable the business is in your area. If you want to start one in Nigeria for instance, your greatest challenge would most likely be cost of power because of the epileptic power supply in Nigeria.
When you are done with your research, you should rent a place where you would carry out all your interviews, sperm collection and storage. Make sure you choose a place that is discreet so that you don’t discourage shy customers. You should also equip your sperm bank with the right facilities and make arrangements for uninterrupted power supply to keep the sperm preserved all the way.
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