The Process of Becoming a Sperm Donor

Donating your sperm can truly make a difference. It allows you to help a family realize their dreams of conception and childbirth while rewarding you with monetary compensation and free medical care.

If you’re a healthy man of any race or ethnicity between the ages of 18 and 39, we encourage you to apply to be a sperm donor. We have made the process as simple and flexible as possible.

How To Become A Sperm Donor

To apply, you must be a healthy male between the ages of 18 and 39. You will then be asked to complete a detailed and rigorous screening process that on average takes a few weeks to complete. The application process includes the following:

1. First, fill out and submit an online sperm donor application. Shortly after submitting, you will receive an email with further instructions on what to expect for your first in person visit. You do not need to call to make an appointment with us for your first visit.
2. The next step is to come to our clinic to provide a semen sample for lab analysis. This test determines the overall health of your sperm including sperm count and sperm motility (or how well your sperm move). We will also freeze and thaw your specimen to test how it survives this process. This first sample is for testing only and will be destroyed following analysis and after we notify you about the results. You will not be paid for this initial sperm sample. Sometimes repeat unpaid samples are necessary to check for variations in sperm quality.
3. If you pass this step, a Donor Coordinator will reach out to you to schedule an appointment for a Genetic Interview. This appointment usually takes about 45 minutes. You will complete a comprehensive questionnaire covering your personal and family medical history. This includes questions about the medical histories of your extended family members, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, so please come prepared! You will also be given the Donor Consent Agreement and our Donor Coordinator will review the donor contract with you in detail. You will also sign a Background Check Consent, as all of our donors must pass a background check covering misdemeanors and felonies.
4. If you pass this step, you’ll get scheduled for a free physical exam from our doctor. This includes a routine physical, color vision test, and basic eye exam. We will also collect blood and urine samples at this visit to test for infectious diseases, genetic carrier status, and other health factors such as cholesterol. All this testing is free to you and you can request copies of the results.
5. Assuming nothing is found during your testing that excludes you from participating, you then become an active sperm donor and begin getting paid for your donations. Your donations will be kept in cryo-storage for a minimum of six months. Once the six-month quarantine period is over, your samples are released and available for purchase by our clients via our online donor catalog. We ask that you commit to donating for a minimum of once a week for six months, although many of donors are in our program for much longer based on client demand.

Benefits of Donating Sperm

All this screening ensures we have healthy, high-quality sperm donors. While this may sound like a lot of steps, the process generally takes about three weeks from when you come in for your initial analysis.

Once you’re part of our program, you’ll earn $100 for each donation ($70 at the time of donation, and $30 when the sample is released). And since you can donate up to three times per week, that adds up to about $1,500 per month. We’ll even give you a $300 bonus when you refer a new donor to our clinic who also gets accepted into the program.

As an added benefit, you also get two free physical exams per year if you remain an active donor. Once you retire from the program, you remain eligible for a free annual physical exam to help keep you healthy. The genetic testing you’ll receive can give you valuable insights into your medical background. For example, testing will let you know about any genetic dispositions you may have to certain conditions, so you can make better health decisions for the rest of your life based on this information.

If you have questions about the process for donating sperm, contact us at info@sandiegospermbank.com or (858) 732-8500.