Baby In A Box – Sperm Bank Shipping
Wishing you could just click your heels and a baby would just magically appear. Well, you kind of can.
Kind of.
Shipping frozen sperm from cryobanks and have it arrive at your doorstep like an ingredient box has been available for many years, and demand for it is growing. So while it’s not quite a baby, this baby-making box can make the process of creating one much more conveniently than all the fertility clinic hoopla. AND in the comfort and privacy of your own home too!
You can make an order for frozen donor sperm through any Europe and US cryobanks.
Some of these include but are not limited to:
- The Sperm Bank of California: Will ship direct to women as long as they are working with a medical physician.
- Pacific Reproductive Services will ship sperm to recipients, at any location, as long as the registration process is complete. Details are on their website.
- NW Cryobank: Will ship to recipients in most states. Check their website for specific details.
- Seattle Sperm Bank: Upon written consent of a medical professional, Seattle Sperm Bank will ship to recipients. They have a Clinical Release form on their website that needs to be completed prior to purchasing and shipping.
- Manhattan Cryobank: As long as you are working with a medical physician they will ship to recipients.
- Cryos international will ship anywhere around the globe provided local authorities and customs allows them to. Insemination instructions and kits are also posted with semen specimens.
Price varies between all these sperm banks depending on all the add-ons you select such as extended profiles and donor photos and medical information. Donor sperm specimens that have ID release cost about AU$350 per straw at Cryos International and will set you back around AU$800 to have it shipped.
How do they get it to you?
The sperm specimens straws are packed up in vapour tanks in liquid nitrogen inside a box and shipped to you via FedEx, local courier, or if you’re within driving distance, they can be picked up in person at the facility. Once you’ve opened the box and completed your insemination, the tanks must be returned to the cryobank within ten days. Otherwise, your credit card will get another hefty charge which could be upwards of AU$1000.
If you’re in Europe or the US
You can actually choose a cheaper shipping option and have your selected sperm shipped using a dry ice container. This is a little risky for us in Australia, but you live within a few days postal reach this alternative may suit you. You don’t even need to return the container once you’ve used it which makes it super convenient.
You’ll need to have picked up a few home insemination supplies such as a cap or needleless syringe so you can inseminate as soon as your package arrives at your front door. Just make sure you read all the instructions first!
NOTE***It might be worth checking the donor ID numbers through the Donor Sibling Registry before selecting, shipping and using their specimen. Numbers of families created through sperm banks often exceed their family limits so it’s well worth seeing if a child you might create has a few siblings out there or a hundred.
Why do sibling numbers matter? Read HERE
I would caution women against using shipped sperm in particular known donor sperm. It’s highly likely that if you’re using sperm via the post, you haven’t met your donor in the flesh nor taken any time getting to know him. Unless that donor is only supplying you, that donor could be supplying many others, you may never be able to locate the siblings of your child, you may never know how many births there are, you can’t confirm that the donor is supplying his sperm and/or has substituted the contents with any contaminants and it’s recommended to run semen test on the sperm prior to using. You want to ensure that the swimmers are still swimming or you are just wasting your time and hoping for absolutely nothing. You really also don’t want to create a baby this way. It’s simply ick and when your little human grows up and finds out about their story, they may not find it funny or cute. Be mindful of the long term health effects this information may have on them. And yes they deserve the truth!
