An Australian fertility clinic has received an influx of donations since the launch of its sperm donor website www.spermdonorsaustralia.com.au earlier this year.
City Fertility Centre, which has clinics in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and on the Gold Coast, now has nearly 100 Australian sperm donors on its books to further help those in need.
Scientific director and co-founder of City Fertility, Adnan Catakovic, said the big response from donors had surprised the fertility centre.
“While our initial donor marketing campaign focused primarily on recruiting donors in Victoria, we have received interest and now have donors from around the country,” Mr Catakovic said.
Australia has been experiencing a shortage of such donors since various state laws were changed in recent years to allow donor-conceived children to access information on the donor when they turn 18. Sperm donors, however, have no legal responsibilities or rights to a child.
Mr Catakovic said City Fertility Centre’s new donors were comfortable with the latest disclosure requirements, which was proof that men were increasingly willing to help people with fertility problems.
About one in eight infertile couples require donor sperm to fulfil their dream of becoming parents.
New sperm donor John, 49, said he decided to contribute because he had colleagues who were having trouble conceiving and it was heartbreaking for them.
“By becoming a donor, I thought I could do my part to help those in need,” John said.
He consulted his wife and two adult children before agreeing to donate and thinks more Australian men should help out.
Mr Catakovic said there was steadily increasing demand for sperm donors, resulting from scientific advances now allowing IVF clinics to assist more patients and greater society acceptance of using donor sperm.
