Picking a sperm donor comes down to a series of practical decisions: choosing a sperm bank, filtering through donor profiles, matching genetic screening results, and selecting the right vial type for your fertility plan. The process can feel overwhelming at first, but most people narrow their options quickly once they know what to prioritize. Here’s how to work through it step by step.
Start by Choosing a Sperm Bank
Your first decision isn’t which donor to pick. It’s which sperm bank to use. Major U.S. banks like California Cryobank, Fairfax Cryobank, and Cryobio each maintain large donor databases with searchable profiles. International options like European Sperm Bank and Cryos International ship to the U.S. as well. Each bank differs in the number of available donors, the depth of profile information, pricing, and whether they offer identity-release (open) donors.
Browse a few banks before committing. Create free accounts and explore their search filters. Some banks let you upload a photo and use facial-matching technology to find donors who resemble you or a partner. Others offer more detailed personality assessments or staff impressions of the donor. The interface and search experience vary enough that it’s worth comparing before you start paying for premium profile access.
Anonymous vs. Open-Identity Donors
One of the earliest and most consequential choices is whether you want an anonymous donor or an open-identity (open ID) donor. With an anonymous donor, the identity is never disclosed to you or your child. You’ll get physical characteristics, medical history, and personal interests, but no identifying details. With an open ID donor, your child can request the donor’s identifying information once they turn 18, potentially opening the door to future contact.
Many sperm banks are shifting toward open ID systems, and some have stopped offering fully anonymous donors altogether. If you’re unsure, it’s worth considering that children conceived through donor sperm increasingly express interest in learning about their biological origins. Choosing an open ID donor now preserves that option for your child later, even if they never use it.
What Donor Profiles Actually Include
Donor profiles contain far more than basic physical stats. You’ll typically find height, weight, blood type, ethnicity, hair color, eye color, education level, and occupation. Many banks also include baby photos, family medical history going back multiple generations, hobbies, and personal essays where donors describe themselves in their own words.
Some banks go further. European Sperm Bank, for example, has donors complete a personality test inspired by the Myers-Briggs framework. Several donors also have hand-drawn portraits based on adult photos, created by an artist, since most banks don’t release actual adult photographs. Staff descriptions of the donor’s demeanor during appointments are another feature some banks offer, giving you a sense of how the person comes across in real life. Premium profile access, which unlocks features like audio interviews, extended health histories, or childhood photos, usually costs an additional fee per donor.
Genetic Screening and Carrier Matching
Every reputable sperm bank screens donors for infectious diseases and a panel of genetic conditions before accepting them. But the scope of genetic testing varies. The American College of Medical Genetics recommends screening for 113 genes linked to recessive and X-linked conditions. In practice, a 2023 analysis of major commercial panels found that only one included all 113 recommended genes. The others covered between 57% and 78% of the list.
This matters because genetic risk depends on both the donor and the recipient. If you and the donor both carry a variant for the same recessive condition, a child has a 25% chance of being affected. Most banks will flag known carrier status on a donor’s profile, but the only way to assess your combined risk is to compare your own carrier screening results against the donor’s. Ask your fertility clinic about expanded carrier screening before you finalize a donor. If you’re already a known carrier for a specific condition, you can filter out donors who carry the same one.
Understanding CMV Status
Every donor profile lists a CMV status, and it’s one of the details that confuses people most. CMV, or cytomegalovirus, is an extremely common virus. Most adults have been exposed to it at some point without knowing. A donor with a positive CMV status had a past infection but was not actively infected at the time of donation. A donor with a negative status has never been infected.
CMV is mostly harmless in adults, but a primary infection during pregnancy can pose risks to the fetus. Sperm banks test donors before and after each donation period. If a donor tests positive for an active infection, any samples from that window are destroyed, and new donations aren’t accepted until screening confirms the virus is no longer active. If you’re CMV-negative yourself, your provider may recommend choosing a CMV-negative donor to minimize any theoretical risk, though opinions on this vary among fertility specialists.
Vial Types: ICI, IUI, and IVF
When you’re ready to order, you’ll need to select the right vial type for your procedure. This is a practical detail that’s easy to get wrong, and ordering the wrong type can delay your cycle.
- ICI vials contain unwashed sperm suspended in seminal fluid. These are the only type safe for at-home insemination, where sperm is placed near the cervix rather than inside the uterus.
- IUI vials contain sperm that has been washed and concentrated, removing seminal fluid. These are required for intrauterine insemination, where a catheter places sperm directly into the uterus. Placing unwashed sperm into the uterus is unsafe.
- IVF/ICSI vials are processed for use in lab-based fertilization procedures and tend to contain fewer sperm per vial since they’re used differently.
If you’re planning IUI at a clinic, order IUI-prepared vials unless your clinic specifically says they’ll wash the sample themselves. If you’re doing at-home insemination, you need ICI vials. Your clinic can confirm which type to order based on your treatment plan.
How Much Donor Sperm Costs
Donor sperm has gotten significantly more expensive in recent years. A 2025 analysis published in Fertility and Sterility found that the median cost of an IUI vial is now $1,625, with prices ranging from about $1,170 to $2,195 depending on the bank and donor. ICI vials run slightly less at a median of $1,495. IVF vials average $1,337, and ICSI vials (used for a specific lab technique) average $1,195.
To put the price increases in perspective, one bank’s IUI vials cost $995 in 2023 and jumped to $1,495 by 2025. Most fertility clinics recommend ordering at least two vials per treatment cycle for IUI, or two to three vials for IVF. You can also purchase extra vials and store them at the sperm bank for future use, which is especially important if you want biological siblings from the same donor later. Most clinics can only hold two vials at a time on-site, so storing extras at the bank is standard.
Using a Known Donor Instead
Some people choose a known donor: a friend, acquaintance, or someone found through a personal network rather than a sperm bank. This route offers the advantage of knowing exactly who the donor is and potentially maintaining an ongoing relationship. But it introduces legal and medical complexities that sperm banks handle automatically.
A known donor should undergo the same infectious disease and genetic screening that bank donors complete. More critically, you need a legal agreement drafted before any donation takes place. A sperm donor contract should spell out parental rights and obligations, clarify that the donor has no legal claim to the child, establish whether the arrangement is open or closed, and address practical details like reimbursement for medical expenses. Without a proper contract, a known donor could, depending on your state’s laws, later claim parental rights, or you could be left without the legal protections that bank donors provide by default. A reproductive attorney is essential for this route.
Narrowing Your Choice
With hundreds of donors available at any major bank, the selection process works best as a funnel. Start with non-negotiables: the vial type your procedure requires, open vs. anonymous status, and any genetic conditions you need to screen out. Then layer in physical preferences like ethnicity, height, or hair color. From there, most people find themselves with a manageable shortlist of five to ten donors.
At that point, the decision becomes personal. Read the donor essays. Listen to audio clips if they’re available. Look at baby photos. Some people prioritize education or career, others focus on health history or personality traits. There’s no objectively correct way to weigh these factors. Many recipients report that after all the filtering, one donor’s profile simply “felt right,” and that intuitive response is as valid a tiebreaker as any.
If you’re working with a fertility clinic, coordinate with them on timing. Most clinics require signed consent forms and confirmed vial delivery before starting a treatment cycle. Order your vials with enough lead time that shipping delays don’t push back your schedule.