Blog written by CLI Director of Operations Michelle Ottey, PhD
I am often asked about what motivates men to become a sperm donor. In my experience, over the past five years, I have found the answer to that question to be as diverse as the donors themselves.
Sperm donors are compensated for their time and travel, this compensation is a motivator for many men. The ability to help people build families when they are challenged with social or medical infertility is by far the biggest motivator. Countless donors have shared stories of their friend or family member’s struggle with infertility and spoke of how it touched them and inspired them to want to help. I have had donors tell me that someone they know used donor sperm to conceive and that seeing the joy when they were pregnant was enough to get them to apply.
It is challenging to be a sperm donor. The screening process is intense and very few men make it through to become sperm donors (less than 1% of initial applicants become sperm donors.) Signing the required agreements, discussing something very personal with lab staff and interviewing can be stressful for some men in the process. But those who make it are always happy to be a part of the program and find satisfaction knowing that they are helping to build families.
I read an email this morning from a man who was rejected from participating in the program that made an impression on me. He was rejected because of family medical history and the high incidence of cancer, and though he understood why he was not able to participate in the program he was very disappointed. He shared that his aunt had issues with infertility and struggled for years to have a child and that was why participating had been so important to him. He was grateful that sperm donor programs exist and was sorry to not contribute; though he is referring friends to apply.
I believe that many of these men are making the choice to participate knowing that they are providing an opportunity for others to create families that would otherwise not exist. It is a beautiful and selfless thing that they are doing.
