What is a sperm bank?
A sperm bank (also called a semen bank or a cryobank) is a company that offers two types of services:
- Donor sperm for fertility treatment: The most important task at a sperm bank is to help couples and singles looking to use donor sperm to fulfil their dream of parenthood. The sperm bank collects, analyzes, and ensures all parental rights are protected to ensure a safe process.
- Sperm banking: In sperm banks, you can have your sperm quality tested and stored if you want to save your sperm for later use.
Sperm banks can be international companies like Cryos International helping people across the world, but they can also be fertility clinics that recruits donor for their customers.
How do sperm banks help people conceive with donor sperm?
The donor sperm is donated to sperm banks by men who share the goal of helping others achieve their dream of a child. Before the donors can start the donation process, they must undergo an extensive screening process to ensure they are mentally and physically healthy. If they fulfil the sperm donor requirements and pass the medical examination, they can begin their donation process.
After the sperm donation, trained laboratory technicians ensure that each straw has the high quality required for artificial insemination. Afterwards, the sperm straws are placed in large cryo-tanks that freeze the sperm down to -196 degrees, to ensure the survival of the sperm straws. Once the sperm have been processed and stored, it becomes available in our Sperm Donor Search. If you are looking for donor sperm to buy, we recommend you read this blog post The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Sperm Donor.
Since Cryos is a sperm bank and not a fertility clinic, it is not possible to receive fertility treatment at our facilities.
What is sperm banking?
Sperm banking is a reliable and secure way to preserve your ability to conceive. The process involves these steps:
- Sperm sample: You start by providing a sperm sample. The sample is collected by ejaculating in a small plastic container. You can create the sample in your home or a private room at one of our locations. We recommend sexual abstinence two days before ejaculation.
- Analysis: The next step is to evaluate the sperm quality of the sperm sample. Three factors are analyzed to determine sperm quality: sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology.
- Processing: If the quality is high, the sperm is mixed with a cryo-protectant and separated into vials, also called sperm straws, for storage.
- Freezing and storage: The sperm straws are placed in a cryo-tank, ensuring they reach a temperature of -196°C.
- Thawing and future use: Once you decide to use the sperm, you can contact the sperm bank to have your frozen sperm delivered to a fertility clinic for treatment.
If you want to learn more about sperm banking, then follow the link.
The world's largest selection of sperm donors
At Cryos, we have the largest selection of sperm donors available, with different profiles and phenotypes to choose between. We are a certified egg and sperm bank with more than 35 years of experience helping people on their path to parenthood.
Read more about Cryos International Sperm Bank here.