Hi there,
I am answering this in two parts - answers from searching the web,
followed by my own personal explanation.
From the Web
============
"Doctors also have concerns with men who donate sperm for altruistic
reasons. A great number of older men, that is around the age of 40,
who have had fertility problems within their own families or have had
friends with infertility problems frequently donate sperm. One serious
concern physicians have with older men is the lower sperm count of the
semen. Another is the tendency for these men to want to meet the women
involved in the insemination process. Often times, they express
interest in an involvement in the child¹s life before and after birth.
For this reason, physicians prefer to maintain anonymity on both sides
throughout the process to avoid future emotional, psychological, and
even legal problems."
Taken from "The Rights of Women, Men, and Children with Respect to
Artificial Insemination"
http://fubini.swarthmore.edu/~WS30/WS30F1998/nrosado3.html
"I became a sperm donor because I feel it is my calling, I'm not
really sure how to explain this idea, but giving intended parents the
means and potential to create a healthy and intelligent baby is
justification alone. I can only imagine the profound love and joy
pouring out of a mothers heart when she first embraces her child,
holding her living breathing healthy baby in her arms. Simply put,
helping to create life gives me a sense of purpose and a feeling awe."
Taken from: A Private Sperm Donor Resource
http://www.geocities.com/fertilitysource/process.htm
"Edgar, for example, explained that he became a sperm donor as a
university student after his fiancée broke off their engagement:
I called the clinic mostly as an outlet for a biological imperative I
felt. I wanted to reproduce my genes. ... I figured, I'm a smart,
good looking, healthy guy, and if I were a donor offspring that is the
kind of donor I would be grateful for."
"Quentin became a sperm donor about 15 years ago after hearing a radio
appeal. He wanted others to be able to experience the fulfilment he
and his wife found in their children. Quentin thinks there may be
eight donor offspring and is willing for them to contact him, but does
not think of them as his children; neither does he believe that his
now-teenage children define them as half-siblings. Nevertheless,
Quentin concedes that there is a link. It's a different kind because
it's not involving my wife and kids. This 'different kind' of link
represents well the way in which most donors explained their
connection to the offspring of their donations."
Both taken from "Getting over our infatuation with the gene"
http://www.uq.edu.au/gsm/Confpapers/Kirkman.doc (Microsoft Word
Format)
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:GoTVSY0J_VAC:www.uq.edu.au/gsm/Confpapers/Kirkman.doc++%22became+a+sperm+donor%22&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8
(HTML conversion by Google)
"The decission if it is a good thing to do is one you have to make for
yourself... It's not like donating blood... You can save a human by
donating blood... Donating sperm is something totally different... You
can make two persons very happy with it, but will not save their lifes
with it...
If you're very religious (altough I don't think you're very dogmatic
otherwise you would not have gone so far already...) you could think
that being infertile is something that tells you that you're not
supposed to have kids... An other issue here is, do you want that
your sperm is being used for lesbian couples ? Of for single mothers
by choice ?
A lot of kids who are being conceived with donorsperm do feel the need
to search for their genetical father... To find some 'roots'....
People who are not able to find this 'father' sometimes have very much
problems with this issue... Seeking contact with the donor solves this
'issue' mostly without any problem... Do you want to release your
anonymity then ? This is something you hardly can decide now... It's a
issue that will come up in 15-20 years from starting this....
Look at it the other way... Why should you not donate ?"
Taken from alt.infertility at Google Groups
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&newwindow=1&th=17a7da94dbe574d2&rnum=25
Google keywords used:
"become a sperm donor"
://www.google.com/search?q=+%22become+a+sperm+donor%22+&num=30&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=ISO-8859-1&newwindow=1&safe=off
From Me
=======
I was a sperm donor for several years. If by successful you mean "not
doing it for the money", then I was successful and single. Above all
other reasons for doing it, my main motivation was a lack of any
reasons for not doing it. I considered every possible outcome of my
actions, and none of them were negative.
Reasons:
Instinct: My biological imperative is to further the species by making
children. This is the number one goal of all living things, and
although we can concern ourselves with many other priorities, deep
down I feel this is the most important aim of my life.
Ego: I'm an attractive, healthy, intelligent guy. I want little
versions of me out there.
Altruism: One in fifteen men are infertile (and it is getting worse).
One in eight couples cannot have children. I would be shattered if I
was happily married and unable to father children.
Something different: I enjoy new experiences.
Medical 1: There was quite a lengthy screening process, including a
long medical and genetic history questionnaire, psychological
counselling, sperm testing and HIV tests. I would never have bothered
to have such a rigorous check-up ordinarily. Like many people I was
normally too scared to go to the doctor and ask for an HIV test. But
this was just part of the overall check-up, and it didn't really
bother me.
Medical 2: You can find out if there were any genetic defects in the
resulting children, which is kinda like using others as guinea pigs.
One of my donor offspring did have a defect, but they informed me that
it would only be a one-in-a-million possibility of it happening when I
have my own kids. However, if it were more serious, I would have the
advantage of knowing.
Boasting: Not everyone can be a donor. Many men's semen will not
freeze. And the sperm count needs to be much higher than average. It
felt reassuring to know how many million of little sperms I could
produce, and to be able to quote the figure at the odd party.
Future: When the kids turn 18, they have the right to track me down
(if their parents have told them they were IVF). I have no idea what
my life will be like then, but I would be thrilled to meet one of the
children, regardless of what they are like.
Morbidity: What if I got killed in a car crash next week? Before the
wife and kids (still years away I reckon) section of my life? It makes
me feel better that, although I have cheated a little, I would have
achieved my purpose of having kids.
Considerations for others, that didn't apply to me: You might one day
have a relationship with someone who disapproves of the idea. If your
sperm count doesn't make the grade, or perhaps you learn you are
infertile, it could affect you psychologically. You might not approve
of the lifestyle of the people who use your sperm (like lesbian
couples) – laws can change after you have donated.
Warning: My experiences have only been with proper IVF clinics.
Bypassing official channels and paperwork could lead to many types of
legal problems.
I trust this answers your question. If you are considering becoming a
donor yourself (or using one) I hope this information has been useful.
Feel free to ask for any clarifications you may require.
Best wishes,
robertskelton-ga |
