What should you consider before reviewing sperm donor profiles?
Five questions to consider first, because your answers shape where you search and how long the path may take.
By the Doveras teamUpdated October 2026
In brief
There is no single right way to choose a sperm donor. A few questions, considered before you begin reviewing profiles, can make the search feel clearer: from the kind of relationship you hope for with a donor to what you’d like to know and how your timeline looks.
If you have a partner, these make good conversations to have together; if you’re on this path on your own, they’re just as useful to sit with. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends meeting with a fertility counselor before using donor sperm, and these questions can be a natural place to start (ASRM, 2024).
1. What kind of relationship do you envision with the donor?
It can help to think of this as a gradual range rather than a set of fixed categories. At one end is a donor who remains unidentified. Further along are open-identity donors, who have consented to have their identity shared with the child at an age set by the donor program, most often 18 (Colorado SB22-224).
At the other end is a directed donor, whose place in your family can take whatever shape you agree on, from occasional updates to being a familiar presence in your child’s life.
A directed donor doesn’t have to be someone you’ve known for years. It may be a friend or relative, or a donor you’re matched with who donates specifically for you, banked or fresh. Under federal rules, what makes a donor “directed” is that the recipient knows the donor before donation (21 CFR 1271.3; FDA, 2020).
One thing to note: directed is not the same as “known.” What “known” means can vary. The word is used loosely across the field, often referring to how much both sides know about each other, and especially about the identity of the donor. ASRM now recommends “directed (identified)” in place of “known” (ASRM, 2022). Some sperm banks also use “known donor” to describe an arrangement in which the recipient has waived quarantine, the waiting period during which frozen sperm is held until the donor is tested again (more on this under your timeline, below). When you speak with a clinic or bank, it’s worth asking what they mean by it. Our guide How do we choose between a known and anonymous donor? explores these terms in more depth.
Whichever path you choose, consumer DNA testing means children are increasingly able to learn about their genetic background over time (ASRM, 2022).
Questions to consider
- What role, if any, would you like the donor to have in your child’s life, now and as they grow?
- If you have a partner, how do they feel about the donor’s place in your family’s life?
2. What health and genetic information would you like to have?
Every donor is screened for infections, while genetic screening and family history vary more from one source to another. ASRM recommends carrier screening for all donors, prefers a broad expanded panel, and suggests the egg source and sperm source be tested on the same panel where possible (ASRM, 2024).
Why overlapping carrier results matter. Being a carrier is common and usually has no effect on a person’s own health. Many inherited conditions appear only when a child receives the same gene variant from both genetic parents. If the egg source (whether you, a partner or an egg donor) and the sperm source both carry a variant in the same gene, each pregnancy has a 1 in 4 chance that the child inherits both copies (MedlinePlus). Testing both on the same panel is what makes it possible to see an overlap. If one appears, ASRM recommends meeting with a genetic counselor (ASRM, 2024), who can walk through the options, which may include choosing a different donor or testing embryos during IVF.
How recent the information is can differ. A sperm bank donor’s genetic testing is generally done when he joins the program, and testing technology continues to evolve, so a donor screened several years ago may have been tested on a smaller panel than is available today. Banks typically share what was gathered at the time of donation, and further testing depends on whether the donor is still in contact. With a directed donor, or a donor through an agency, you may be able to request additional or updated testing, including a panel matched to the egg source’s.
With a directed donor, this question can also feel more personal. If a screening result raises a question, federal rules still allow a directed donor to donate to you after counseling and with your informed consent (ASRM, 2024).
Where it points: if you’d like to compare standardized records across many donors, a sperm bank offers them up front. If current or tailored testing matters most, a directed or agency donor gives you more room to ask.
Questions to consider
- Will the egg source complete carrier screening first, so you can look for a donor whose results don’t overlap?
- How recent would you like a donor’s genetic testing to be?
- How would you like to receive updates to the donor’s family medical history over time?
3. How many families are you comfortable sharing a donor with?
Some people find it meaningful that their child may one day connect with other families who share the same donor; others prefer that circle to stay small. Both are completely reasonable.
Family limits are set largely by sperm banks themselves, guided by professional recommendations. ASRM suggests limiting a donor to about 25 births within a population of 800,000 (ASRM, 2024), and Colorado has written a 25-family limit into law (Colorado SB22-224). Bank policies span a range:
| Bank | Family limit per donor |
|---|---|
| Bank A | 25 families in the U.S.; exclusive donors limited to as few as 1 |
| Bank B | 25 to 30 families worldwide |
| Bank C | Up to 75 families worldwide, with 1-, 5- and 15-family options |
A small sample of published sperm bank policies, as of October 2026. Limits vary widely, so it’s worth asking any bank you’re considering.
It’s also worth knowing that family limits are hard to truly track, because they rely largely on families reporting pregnancies and births (Above the Law, 2022). With a directed donor, the number of families is whatever you and your donor agree.
Where it points: if a small circle matters most, a directed donor or a bank donor with a lower family limit is a natural fit. If you’re comfortable with a wider donor community, the full range of bank donors is open to you.
Questions to consider
- How do you feel about your child possibly connecting with other families who share their donor?
- Would you want to join a registry that connects families who share a donor?
- If you hope to use the same donor for a future child, would it help to reserve vials now?
4. What is your timeline?
Every timeline is different, and it helps to name yours early. Sperm bank donors have already completed the FDA’s 6-month quarantine: a waiting period after which the donor is tested again before the sperm is released (21 CFR 1271.85). It exists because a very recent infection may not yet show up on a blood test, and the second test closes that gap (ASRM, 2024). As a result, banked vials are ready when you are.
With a directed donor, timing depends on how the sperm is handled. Federal rules don’t require this quarantine for a directed donor, but many states and clinics recommend or require one, ranging from about 5 weeks to 6 months, and some allow a fresh donation. Our article What does the FDA’s 6-month sperm quarantine mean for a known donor? explains why the FDA requires it for bank donors, how the rules differ for directed donors, and why clinics interpret them differently.
Speak with your clinic early. Before a first cycle with a directed donor, clinics typically ask for:
- your signed consent to use donor sperm, and an acknowledgment of the donor’s screening and eligibility results;
- the donor’s own signed consent, which is often notarized;
- a waiver, if you choose to shorten quarantine or use a fresh donation;
- counseling sessions, and a letter from your attorney confirming that a donor agreement is in place.
One academic fertility center, for example, won’t begin treatment until each of these is signed and the frozen sample has arrived. Starting counseling, screening and legal steps in parallel can keep things moving.
Where it points: if beginning soon matters most, banked sperm is the most predictable route. If a directed donor matters more, ask your clinic early about its quarantine policy, whether it accepts fresh donations, and which consents it needs.
Questions to consider
- How much flexibility do you have in your timeline, and what feels most important to protect?
- Does your clinic accept a shortened quarantine or a fresh directed donation?
- Who will help coordinate counseling, screening and legal steps alongside your medical care?
5. How much would you like to know about the donor?
This is about the information you’ll have when choosing, and what you’ll be able to share with your child later. Sperm banks vary widely in what they provide. Some offer detailed medical histories, personal essays and childhood photos, sometimes at an additional cost, while others share less, and some don’t provide adult photos at all. With a directed donor, you can often ask questions directly as they come up, whether it’s someone you’ve known for years or a donor you’ve been matched with. If it’s someone you know, you may already know their history, family and character firsthand.
It can also help to think about what your child may want to know one day. ASRM’s Ethics Committee supports telling children about their donor conception, and encourages programs to keep donor information that can be shared with them later (ASRM Ethics Committee, 2018).
Where it points: if you’d like to compare many detailed profiles, a sperm bank catalog serves you well; it’s worth asking each bank what its profiles include. If knowing the whole person matters most, a directed donor offers what no profile can.
Questions to consider
- Which details matter most to you: health, background, appearance, education, personality?
- What would you like to be able to tell your child about their donor as they grow?
- Would photos or a personal essay help you feel connected, and what else would help you feel confident in your choice?
Where your answers may lead
As a starting point, here’s how common priorities tend to map to where people look:
| If your priority is… | You may consider… |
|---|---|
| An ongoing relationship between the donor and your child | A directed donor: someone you know, or a donor matched to you who donates for you specifically |
| Your child being able to learn the donor’s identity later in life | An open-identity donor at a sperm bank |
| Sharing your donor with as few families as possible | A directed donor, or a bank donor with a lower family limit |
| Beginning treatment soon | Banked sperm that has already completed quarantine |
| Comparing many detailed profiles | A sperm bank’s donor catalog |
| Current or tailored genetic testing | A directed donor, or a donor through an agency |
There is no single right path to a donor, only the one that feels right for you.
Questions families ask
Is counseling helpful even if I already feel certain?
Yes. ASRM strongly recommends a consultation with a qualified mental health professional for anyone building a family with donor sperm, covering disclosure, the needs of donor-conceived people, and the long-term shape of your family (ASRM, 2024). Many people who already feel certain find it helps clarify the details.
When is the right time to begin a donor search?
Ideally once these conversations have taken shape, when your answers can guide the search rather than react to it.
How does a donor search with Doveras work?
Doveras represents only intended parents. We begin with a private conversation about what matters most to your family, then search across sperm banks and agencies, reviewing each profile against your clinic’s requirements. When the donor you hope for is someone you know, we guide every step that follows.
Sources
- Practice Committee of ASRM and SART. Gamete and embryo donation guidance. Fertil Steril 2024;122:799–813.
- ASRM Practice and Ethics Committees. Updated terminology for gamete and embryo donors. Fertil Steril 2022;118:75–78.
- ASRM Ethics Committee. Informing offspring of their conception by gamete or embryo donation. Fertil Steril 2018;109:601–5.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 21 CFR 1271.3, definitions and 21 CFR 1271.85, donor testing requirements. eCFR.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Reproductive Donor Workshop: Scenarios. October 1, 2020.
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Autosomal recessive.
- Colorado General Assembly. SB22-224, Protections for Donor-conceived Persons and Families. Signed May 31, 2022.
- Above the Law. Historic meeting ushers in new era in US donor conception. November 2022.
- Family limits in Question 3 are drawn from the published policies of three sperm banks, accessed October 2026.
This article is for general education and is not medical or legal advice. Confirm details with your physician, a fertility counselor, or a reproductive attorney.