Society

Sperm donation in China

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-11-12 15:44

Although a growing number of Chinese men are willing to give blood, most are still too embarrassed to even talk about sperm, let alone offer a sample. Some refuse on moral grounds, while others simply fear their friends and family will find out.

The regulations set by the Ministry of Health are simple: only healthy men between the ages of 22 and 45 can give sperm once in their lifetime. Gay men and foreign nationals are prohibited.

Some banks also encourage people from China's many ethnic groups and prefer donors to be at least 170 centimeters tall and hold a college degree, traits that top most couples' wish lists.

However, becoming a donor can often prove far from easy.

Men must visit a sperm bank three times for initial tests and undergo blood screening if their sample makes the grade. They then have to return 10 to 15 times to donate. Six months after the last collection, donors receive a final test for HIV.

China Daily will provide a detailed report on sperm donation in China on Monday.

A doctor at Beijing's only sperm bank, which is run by the National Research Institute of Family Planning, checks a liquid nitrogen semen tank in Beijing on Oct 28, 2010. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]