Xinjiang sperm bank opens deposit service to cancer patients

The sperm bank in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has begun accepting deposits from men preparing for medical treatments that could affect their fertility.

“The service is available only for patients with tumors or blood diseases who are going to undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy and want to preserve their fertility,” said Wang Xiaojun, head of the sperm bank.

“These patients can decide how long they want the deposit to be stored.”

Other sperm banks in China offer the same service to people whose occupation may damage their fertility, as well as those who do not want to have children for the time being, Wang said.

The sperm bank, the first in Xinjiang and the 22nd nationwide, opened in November. The facility is linked to 432 fertility clinics in 30 provinces and preserves semen samples from more than 100 donors, Wang said.

According to Chinese law, the only legal channel to collect donor sperm is through a sperm bank.

As male infertility increasingly becomes a concern, the country has stepped up the establishment of fertility clinics.