Sperm bank denies lowering donor requirements

A sperm bank in Henan province has denied dropping its education and height requirements for potential donors despite a chronic shortage of supply.

“The standards required for donors remain the same,” said Hu Yaolong, a chief tester at Henan Sperm Bank in Zhengzhou.

“In addition to health requirements, donors must have at least a junior college degree and be 1.65m tall.”

Some media outlets reported that the number of donors and quality of sperm donated in Henan had fallen, lowering reserves and leading the sperm bank to reduce its standards to bring more men through the door.

Hu said the adoption of the universal two-child policy had left the bank facing a wider gap between supply and demand, but added that standards had not changed.

However, he said the bank had devised new incentives such as increasing the amount it paid donors to about 5,000 yuan (RM3,170).

“It may not be a big amount in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but it is a big amount in Henan and I think it will attract more donors,” Hu said.

“In addition, donors can have their sperm preserved for 30 years free of charge, so in the future they could use it for in vitro fertilisation if necessary.”

Requirements for donors in Henan – one of the most populous provinces in China – are strict in order to attract qualified people, like college students, Hu said.

“College students are stable and can stay in the same place for years.

“This meets our requirement for donation as a donor usually needs to make 10 donations to complete the whole process, and this could take up to half a year,” he added.

Donors must meet other requirements too, including being of Chinese nationality, having no infectious or hereditary diseases, no bad habits such as smoking or drinking, and being aged between 22 and 45.

“The supply and demand for sperm has remained largely balanced in recent years,” Hu said. “But the shortage has been worsening since the universal two-child policy, as more older couples are seeking IVF to have a second child.”

More than 90 million couples were made eligible to have a second child with the new family planning policy, which was adopted at the beginning of the year.

More than half of the newly eligible women are aged 40 or older, a demographic with higher pregnancy risks, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Many sperm banks are facing a shortage of qualified donors.

Peking University Third Hospital, a top hospital in assisted reproductive technology, also offers 5,000 yuan to suitable donors.

A decrease in the quality of sperm has caused banks to struggle to find sufficient supplies, experts said.

The Henan Sperm Bank had 2,028 donors from January to mid-November, but only 20.8% passed the sperm quality test. — China Daily/ Asia News Network