Become a sperm donor with TFP Fertility

Following your donation, your sperm will be frozen and stored until they are matched to a hopeful recipient.

Donated sperm can be used to create a maximum of 10 families, with no limits on the number of children born within each family. You can set a limit for this, if you wish.

Of course, it's natural to wonder about the outcome of your donation. You can contact your fertility clinic or the HFEA directly to ask for information on:

• How many births have occurred as a result of your donation

• The age, sex and year of birth for the children born

You won’t be given any information that could reveal the identity of the child/children.

To determine if you are eligible to become a donor, we will check if you fulfil the requirements as outlined by the (HFEA).

Some of these criteria include:

• Being male and between the ages of 18 and 45

• Willing to be screened for medical conditions

• Have no known serious medical disability or family history of hereditary disorders

• Know (or can find out) your immediate family medical history - children, siblings, parents and grandparents

• Agree to be registered with the (HFEA) as a donor

• Only donate to the TFP Donor Bank

• Not put yourself at risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

• Not knowingly omit any relevant information which could affect the health of any children born as a result of your donation
  
  To find out if you could become a sperm donor, please fill out our initial questionnaire.

To help achieve a successful pregnancy, all donated sperm must be of high quality. Because of this, only a small percentage of potential donors will be eligible for donation.  

It’s important to know that there are many reasons why you might not be able to become a sperm donor, however, it may have nothing to do with your own fertility.  

If you are unable to donate, the reasons why will be explained in full, and we’ll provide any information or advice you may need.  

We actively encourage donations from all ethnic groups, as there are sometimes instances where we are unable to meet donor preferences due to a shortage of donors from ethnic groups.

Donor sperm needs to be able to withstand the processes involved with fertility treatments, including freezing.

Due to a change in law in April 2005, it is no longer possible to donate sperm anonymously. This means that anyone conceived using donor sperm can ask the HFEA for their donor’s name, date of birth and last known address when they reach 18 years of age.  

Until then, they only have access to non-identifying information, such as your height, weight, hair and eye colour.

The recipients of a donation can ask the (HFEA) for non-identifying information about a donor at any time, and they can pass these details on to their child at their discretion.

When donating your sperm to a licensed fertility clinic, you have no legal obligations to any child born as a result.

We are a HFEA-regulated clinic and follow strict protocols and regulations to ensure the safety of our donors and future recipients.

This means:

• You’re not the legal parent of any child born from your sperm donation

• You’re not named on their birth certificate

• You have no financial obligations to the child or recipient

• You have no parental rights over how the child is raised

Donated sperm can be used to create a maximum of 10 families, with no limits on the number of children born within each family.

Typically, sperm donors create five to ten families with one or two children in each family. You can determine a lower limit if you wish.

You can make an information request to the HFEA to find out if any children have been born as a result of your donation.

• You'll be told how many children have been born as well as their sex and year of birth

• You can only find out about births, not pregnancies

You’ll need to wait until enough time has passed, which is usually around one year after your donation.

Yes, individuals of any sexual orientation can become sperm donors.

Our sperm donors are all screened and checked, with a focus put on the quality of the sperm and whether it is free from any genetic, infectious or hereditary conditions.

Whilst donating, you will need to agree to avoid putting yourself at risk of any sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and only donate to the TFP Donor Bank.

By law, when you donate you must consent in writing to your sperm being used for treatment. You can change or withdraw your consent up until the point any of your sperm is used in a recipient's treatment. That means you can change or withdraw your consent after your sperm has been donated.

If you have any doubts about becoming a sperm donor, you can discuss these concerns with a specialist fertility counsellor who is available to you throughout the process. As a prospective donor, you are required to attend counselling sessions to discuss the implications of being a sperm donor and how it could affect you and your family in the future.

Counselling sessions are confidential and available to you to use at any time before, during and after donation.

In the UK, it is illegal to pay someone for their sperm donation. However, as of 1st October, 2024, a sperm donor can receive up to £45 per clinic visit to cover their expenses. If considered reasonable, more is available if your expenses for things like travel, accommodation or childcare are higher than this.  

Please note, your fertility clinic may ask for receipts to provide your expenses are higher than £45.  

If you’re not a permanent resident of the UK, you may be compensated in the same way as a UK sperm donor, but you won’t be able to claim any overseas travel expenses.