'Need a donation some time tonight'

Hidden world of online sperm selling

- Robyn Vinter

A man going by the name “Rod Kissme” claims to have “very strong sperm”.

It may seem like an eccentric boast for a Facebook profile page, but then this is no mundane corner of the internet. The group where Rod and other men advertise themselves is a community where women and couples come, in many cases, to fulfil a lifelong dream: parenthood.

There are a growing number of online sperm donor groups on social media. They offer people the chance of parenting children in an unregulated, dangerous but surprisingly straightforward way.

Membership of groups such as Sperm Donors UK, Start a Family Here and “Get Your BABYDUST Here!” are thriving. This is due, in part, to the prohibitive cost of the official route - through a Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority-regulated clinic.

For those who do things by the book, the costs can run into tens of thousands of pounds, especially if they do not become pregnant at the first attempt. Lengthy delays, and shortages of donors from certain religious backgrounds or ethnicities also drive many towards unregulated means.

Selling sperm for profit is illegal in the UK and donors are allowed to be compensated only for legitimate costs. With the illegal route comes considerable risk. In the groups there are numerous posts from women who describe having bad experiences. One woman in a same-sex relationship said the couple met their donor to receive a sperm deposit, only to find he would not go through with the deal unless the couple showed him their breasts.

More alarming still are the responses, many of which tell the couple they should have gone to a sperm bank if they did not want to have a threesome with the donor. There is little time for sensitivity, it seems, in the competitive world of online sperm selling.