Declining sperm counts, identified by two recent and influential meta-analyses—combining and synthesizing the results of previous studies—have become widely publicized in the mainstream media.

In the new study, however, statistical analysis of sperm samples provided by the men applying to be sperm donors showed that while the average sperm concentration varied from year to year, it did not change significantly over a six-year period.

"California Cryobank says their current sperm donors are roughly 43% Asian, 40% white, 10% Hispanic, but only about 5% Black.  Nationally, it is estimated as few as 2% of sperm donors at cryobanks are Black."  "...of 263 donors in the cryobank catalog at the time, only 3 were Black."

Technology allows sperm to be frozen longer than the legal 50-year limit but poses medical and ethical questions.

Without telling me, my husband donated sperm back in the ’90s, when we were newly married. We were both students, and we had one child and another on the way. We had talked about ways we could earn money, and we both agreed sperm and egg donation were not a good option. He told me that he understood my concerns and agreed not to do this.

Years passed, and in 2017 he received a notification from a DNA website saying that he had a new match: a biological child conceived from one of his donations. He began to communicate with this child—sharing pictures, stories, and a lot of personal information—but never told me about her. He did, however, inform our adult children, as this person would show up as a sibling match if they did genetic testing. I found out by accident just a few months ago when I overheard my daughter asking him if he had told me yet.

One man, hundreds of children, and a burning question: Why?

This particular vaccine is not distributed in the US, but we do wonder how cautious the sperm banks will be.  "Experts say that the vaccinators must caution beneficiaries who have reproductive potential to avoid direct sex with partners from 3-12 months after they are vaccinated."

"Time slowed. Colin felt adrift. He scoured the internet for advice, other stories like his, a life raft he could grasp to guide his thoughts. He couldn’t find his situation reflected anywhere. During his search, he happened upon the website for the Donor Sibling Registry. Its cofounder, Wendy Kramer, was the mother of a donor-conceived child. Frantically pacing an empty cafeteria at work, he gave her a call. She had heard the story before and calmly directed him to some resources."

The lawsuit: Dr. B.C. aka Dr. John Doe v. Oregon Health & Science University

DSR Story — watch a donor meet his biological children for the first time.

A great article on clarifying the rights and responsibilities of sperm donors.

Ryan Kramer and his biological father Lance talk about their connection.

It is a rarity for a college newspaper to acknowledge sperm donation, so although a bit crude (hey, it's a college newspaper), the writer makes some good points.

This family first came together when the donor's dad called Wendy to talk about connecting with his son's biological family. Fast forward to 3 generations of an expanding family!  One of the moms says of the donor's family: "their family arms are open and accept every single one of [my donor's] children as his children."

Me and my daddy (biological father donor). We have known each other for just about four years now get together as often as possible as text daily. There are 11 siblings all in contact too!!! All my siblings grew up with a father I did not I wanted to find him for 20 years finally did and he IS my dad.

"After about 5 weeks of conversation, [my donor child] told me that he is going to call me Dad from now on and I am his father because the man who raised him until age 15 was never much of a father and I have been more of a father to him in 5 weeks than that man has been his whole life. Very powerful stuff. I tell them this and will continue to tell them all when we connect: 'I have no expectation of what you will call me and how you will identify me. You will struggle to find what to call me. You will have conflicting feelings regarding this and it is normal and ok. You may try out whatever you like for as long as you like and you may change it any time you wish as many times as you like. When you find what works for you, you will feel it.'"

"When I was a donor, I failed to foresee the rise of consumer DNA testing and the inevitable end of donor anonymity. Since DNA tests are only going to become more popular and accurate as time goes on, it seems to me that I should get in front of this thing and put myself out there."

"My goal in joining this site is to present myself so that if my kids are out there and would like to meet me and or get to know me, I'm here for them. I welcome and cherish such a special opportunity. I would never want for any child or person for that matter to feel less whole due to not knowing something that is such an instinctual curiosity. From all the information that I've read, early contact and/or at least the knowledge of who a bio father is looks to be very beneficial for the children. That being said, I'm open to early contact and relationship building. I'm here to help and only add to the child's life in a loving and non-intrusive manner. This is all still very new to me but I will always do my best to be a good example, a positive addition, responsive with awareness and care for any communications."

"In my experience, not only have there been zero negatives associated with meeting these offspring, but the upside is broader and fuller and more positive than I could have imagined. I, too, have been gratified to know my 'selfish genes' are scattered and the offspring were benefiting from what I believe is my healthy stock. Equally, I benefited from feeling generous in having helped folks who’d been struggling to conceive. I’ve always been comfortable with the idea there may be children and their parents who, for whatever reasons, might have no interest in meeting me. But I’d ask you to think now about those children (and perhaps their parents) who have an interest in meeting you.

What relationships and the depth of relationship which may or may not ensue from connecting will be up to you and the others in your life, but the children who call you dad and those who don’t yet know you are siblings. Watching those relationships develop among the offspring I’ve met has been wonderful. Even without having grown up in the same household, each quickly sees bits of themselves in the others, and each now has someone else (or several others) who seemingly 'click' in those ways siblings do but without the competition young siblings often experience. There is a centeredness/groundedness/sense of history some of these children describe associated with learning about to whom they are biologically related.

Each of your offspring (like mine) are likely now in their twenties, so they’ve figured out (at least to some degree) who they are and are leading their own lives. I wish I could better express more of the joys associated with connecting, but I’ll leave it for now by saying it’s been a thoroughly joyful experience on all fronts for me and it’s my perception there has been no downside at all to connecting with my offspring and introducing them to one another."

"I discussed online registries w/CCB and my thought of registering on your site. I have always felt your site appears high quality and 'trustworthy.' However, CCB, of course, had their cautions, and they were quite strong in their position that I should NOT register because there are likely errors with people putting wrong donor ID, or even fakes ... so that if I register, CCB says there's more than a slim chance I'd be reaching out or opening up to people not really offspring of mine, and I find that troubling because I was just about to drop the $."
A follow-up email from the above donor, in February 2019: "Hey Wendy. So I thought you might like a little update. I recently spent two days and nights with one of the families ... met the boys with their two moms. Was awesome! So many quirky and offbeat things in common, and we all hit it off, friends, or better said, 'extended family' now. I also have made extensive connections with 4 other kids. Again, a very wonderful and happy experience; we are sharing a lot of ourselves, and I hope to meet them too. I am single, never close to married, and have often thought of how BLESSED I am to be in the position of: 'Oh, I have never had kids. I wonder what they might have been like.' Many people can only wonder, and they know it will never be. I, on the other hand, can wonder, but then, by sheer miracle, and it's not a dream, HERE THEY ARE! Wow!"

"I donated several hundred times from 1981 through 1988 and look forward to making contact with my progeny. Thank you for all you have done to help fill in a void that has been on my mind for many years."

"My decision to be a donor was inspired by the blessed gift of my children. They and their half-siblings (I only know of a son and daughter) have the right to know each other. With humility, I can say that I've never had misgivings about being a donor and continue to desire contact without any presumptions. I sent an inquiry and personal letter to [my sperm bank], and, having since discovered the DSR, will trust the universe in this quest. As a parent of children who are the light of my life, I already feel an affinity with the parents of these children conceived in trust and love."

A former sperm donor meets his biological daughter and grandson for the first time.

"One thing is crystal clear for me. That is that the interests and well being of the children — all of them — are paramount. Regardless of what the legal framework was at the time of my being a sperm donor, I believe that I do have responsibilities to the children born as a result of my sperm donations. At the very least, those children have a right to know what my part of their genetic heritage is. I will be more than happy to get in touch, if and when they do desire. I think about them often and wonder who, where, and how they are, and what is happening in their lives. I think, that if one day some of my unknown offspring do make contact with and meet me, it might be – for them primarily and for me too — a wonderful 'jigsaw' experience!?! I only donated for a period of about eight months! All of that said, the prospect of it actually happening is a little daunting, in some ways. What if they do not like me, or I them? What if they feel unhappy with my having contributed to their creation, but then taken no responsibility for them — especially if they have had an unhappy life? How will my own family react to and view them? On and on my thinking goes. However, at the base of all of this I am quite clear in my mind, that these wonderful children do have a right to know, what they want to know about me — because in them, there is a part of me."

"Hi Wendy, I just wanted to thank you for making the Donor Sibling Registry possible. I donated sperm in 2000 and 2001. I've never been embarrassed about it, for the most part — I told my mom and close friends at the time. But it never occurred to me that any biological offspring of mine would be even want to contact (let alone meet) me. I don't know exactly how this came into my consciousness 15 years later, but here I am! Your website, and the interviews you've done on NPR, which I've researched in the past few days, really opened my eyes. I don't know if it will ever come to be, that I meet someone who I helped to bring in to this world. But now I know that's a possibility, thanks to you and your son. Thank you for educating me about the role I may have played in someone's life. I definitely don't remember the sperm bank ever talking to me about this stuff. ;) I hope you and your son are happy and well!"

"But at any rate, my own sons and daughters: wake up, endure, whatever. Just as long as you also accept this apology: not for my having helped conceive you, of course, but for my not having helped raise you. And also for your not having ever known me in person. And also, now, for my not knowing you at all."

Written by a former sperm donor.

An article by a former donor about searching for and connecting with a daughter.