Small study shows Black sperm donors motivated by altruism turn to informal donations rather than traditional sperm banks
Black Sperm Donors: Motivations and Hesitations. (Newman, 2025)
Newman, A. M. (2025). Black Sperm Donors: Motivations and Hesitations. F&S Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xfre.2025.03.004
Geographic Region: United States
Research Question: What are the motivations and hesitations around sperm donation for Black sperm donors across various formal and informal donation contexts?
Design: Cross-sectional survey study using convenience sampling. Data was collected through an online survey between June 2023 and January 2024, with additional collection in August 2024. The survey examined donor motivations using established factors from international research and assessed hesitations through agreement/disagreement statements.
Sample: 8 Black sperm donors as a subsample of a larger dataset of 26 potential Black donors. Participants were recruited through targeted outreach via email listservs, Facebook groups, sperm banks, and events related to Black reproductive health and reproductive justice. All participants were age 18 or over and identified as Black or African American, with two also identifying as Latinx. The sample included diverse sexual orientations: four heterosexual men, two bisexual, one gay, and one transgender/non-binary and queer individual. Donation contexts varied: two had donated at sperm banks, one through personal connections, three through online platforms, and two through both personal and online methods.
Key Findings
All participants valued altruism (helping others create families) as a motivation, with 75% rating it extremely important.
Financial compensation varied in importance: 38% said it was not important at all, while others rated it as moderately to extremely important. Compensation experiences varied: some received only travel reimbursement, while others received set fees, with some having unpaid donation experiences.
Medical mistrust was a major barrier: 88% agreed they had hesitations about mistrust of medical professionals and clinic staff at traditional sperm banks.
Lack of diversity in clinic staff was equally concerning: 88% agreed this created hesitations about traditional sperm bank donation.
Most donors (63%) were only open to donating through methods they had already used.
Limitations: Small sample size of only eight participants, making findings not conclusive or representative of all Black sperm donors. The convenience sampling method and reliance on self-selected participants may introduce selection bias. The study's cross-sectional design provides only a snapshot rather than longitudinal understanding of donor experiences.
Applications: Develop culturally responsive counseling approaches that acknowledge and address systemic barriers, improve support services for Black donors and families, and integrate awareness of medical mistrust into practice. Clinics, banks, and matching programs can address staff diversity gaps, examine and change policies and practices that may exclude or discourage Black donors, and take meaningful actions to build trust.
Funding Source: Not disclosed
Lead Author: Alyssa Newman is affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She specializes in the social and ethical dimensions of reproductive technologies. No personal connection to donor conception was disclosed.
Regulatory Context
There are no comprehensive federal laws regulating gamete donation or donor conception in the U.S. The process is largely self-regulated by the fertility industry.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does have some oversight, primarily related to the screening and testing of donors for infectious diseases.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) provides ethical guidelines and recommendations for donation practices. However, these are not legally binding.
There are no legal limits on compensation for donors. A 2011 court ruling (Kamakahi v. ASRM) determined that price caps on donor compensation violate antitrust laws.
ASRM recommends a minimum age of 21 for gamete donors, but this is not legally mandated.
The U.S. does not have laws prohibiting anonymous donations.
Some states have enacted their own laws regarding aspects of assisted reproduction and parentage, but these vary widely.
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