Inside the murky world of online sperm banks

By William On Jan 22, 2023

British men are trying to entice women desperate for babies into having unprotected sex under the guise that it is more successful than fertility treatments.

MailOnline found dozens of men on a sperm donor matchmaking website who claim that natural insemination will increase the chances of having a baby or help ensure a healthy newborn.

These men present the ‘traditional’ method as a superior alternative to IVF or home insemination kits, which can inject donated sperm into the vagina.

The UK’s independent fertility treatment regulator, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA), has warned women ‘never’ to agree to have sex with a sperm donor due to the dangers.

And fertility experts have told MailOnline that the men’s claims are completely false and have urged women and couples to avoid them.

Meet some of the British men offering their sperm online with dubious claims about natural insemination. Don’t worry either, they insist on ‘it’s not a pervert thing’

HOW DOES IVF WORK?

In vitro fertilization, known as IVF, is a medical procedure in which a woman has an already fertilized egg inserted into her womb to become pregnant.

It is used when couples are unable to conceive naturally, and a sperm and egg are removed from their bodies and combined in a laboratory before the embryo is inserted into the woman.

Once the embryo is in the uterus, the pregnancy should continue as normal.

The procedure can be performed using eggs and sperm from a couple or from donors.

Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that IVF be offered on the NHS to women under the age of 43 who have been trying to conceive through regular unprotected intercourse for two years.

People can also pay for IVF privately, which costs up to £5,000 or more according to the NHS.

The success rate of IVF depends on the age of the woman undergoing treatment, as well as the cause of the infertility (if known).

Younger women are more likely to have a successful pregnancy.

IVF is generally not recommended for women over the age of 42 because the chances of a successful pregnancy are believed to be too low.

In 2019, the percentage of IVF treatments that resulted in a live birth was:

32 percent for women under 35

25 percent for women ages 35 to 37

19 percent for women ages 38 to 39

11 percent for women ages 40 to 42

5 percent for women ages 43 to 44

4 percent for women over 44 years of age

Around eight million babies are believed to have been born due to IVF since the first case, British woman Louise Brown, was born in 1978.

In one such profile on Co-ParentMatch.com, Jason, who claims to be a 50-year-old driving instructor from Nottingham, said: ‘Sorry, but the old way works.

‘It’s not a pervert thing, [I] I just feel like there are girls and ladies [sic] that she can’t get pregnant in the new ways or can’t pay the high price.’

He added: “It would just be sex for that.”

Another user, reportedly a 38-year-old London IT worker named Jack, who described himself as a “polite and respectful gentleman”, argued that natural insemination “increases the chances of a healthy baby”.

And Sinbad, who says he is a 34-year-old prison officer from London, said it was “certainly the most effective way, [rather] to waste time with little things’, and that it was also the ‘Christian’ way of doing things.

Other profiles viewed by this website made similar claims or offered to accommodate the women in their homes for the ‘process’, another thing the HFEA warns women against.

Some men also offered a partial insemination service, where they masturbated and then only had intercourse moments before ejaculation.

An HFEA spokesperson told MailOnline that anyone considering using a sperm donor outside of an approved clinic should be very careful.

“Anyone considering using a sperm donor outside of an HFEA-licensed fertility clinic should be aware that there may be serious health, legal and personal safety risks,” they said.

“This can put both mother and child at risk of disease, as well as lead to future parental rights issues.”

One of the main warning signs was the insistence of a sperm donor or an attempt to convince a hopeful father of the merits of natural insemination.

“They may try to convince you that ‘natural’ insemination offers a better chance of getting pregnant than intrauterine insemination (IUI), but this is not necessarily the case,” the HFEA spokesperson said.

Dr Tim Bracewell-Milnes, an expert in reproductive medicine at Imperial College London, said the fact that potential sperm donors were making these claims online was “alarming”.

“Couples trying to conceive, same-sex couples wanting a baby or single women wanting to conceive are potentially quite vulnerable and it appears that these online donors are trying to take advantage of them,” he said.

He said that using a sperm donor who offers their services for free may be cheaper than a fertility clinic, but it may be the case that you get what you pay for.

“It is always safer for patients to get pregnant using donor sperm in a fertility clinic setting,” he said.

‘Using online donors may well be cheaper, but there are many reasons for this.’

Dr. Bracewell-Milnes added that in addition to checking that the sperm is actually capable of fertilization, the approved clinics also perform a number of health and legal checks.

“Fertility clinics and sperm banks would ensure that a rigorous sexual health and medical examination is performed on all donors,” he said.

“Proper paperwork would be filled out to ensure the donor cannot claim any legal liability of paternity.”

He added that the men’s claims that natural inseminations are more reliable or produce healthier offspring were untrue.

“This is not true at all,” he said.

Dr. Bracewell-Milnes said that, in general, a woman between the ages of 35 and 37, the general age at which most fertility treatments would be considered, who is trying to have a baby naturally has a one in one chance of 10 to conceive per month.

In contrast, a technique called intrauterine insemination (IUI), in which a highly concentrated sample of sperm is injected through a special tube into the vagina, has a success rate of 12 percent per month.

IVF, where an egg is stimulated, removed, fertilized and then implanted directly into the uterus, has a 35 percent success rate per attempt.

“IUI or IVF would always be more successful per month than natural conception with a sperm donor,” said Dr. Bracewell-Milnes.

Both IUI and IVF may be available on the NHS, although waiting times can be long.

It is also available privately, although this can be expensive, with IUI costing upwards of £700 and IVF £5,000.

Home insemination kits, where donated sperm is added to a turkey-like device which is then inserted into the vagina, are also available for as little as £2, but success rates with these can vary widely depending on the model and technique.

Dr. Bracewell-Milnes also said that he would recommend women or couples consult a fertility expert before embarking on any form of treatment to discuss their options.

An HFEA spokesperson said: “Donor treatment can be expensive and there is limited funding from the NHS using donor eggs or sperm, which can lead to patients finding their own donors online.”

“If you undergo a private arrangement, you will not have the same security and legal protection and there are no limits to the number of children that have been born from the same donor.”

As with any sexual activity, natural insemination carries a risk of sexually transmitted infections.