The Risks of Unregulated Sperm Donation

Patients

Choosing a sperm donor is one of the most personal and important decisions in your journey to parenthood. You deserve to feel confident and protected throughout the process. That’s why it’s vital to understand recent developments—like the launch of a new mobile app that facilitates private sperm donation arrangements entirely outside of UK regulations.

Developed by the founder of an international sperm bank, this app enables users to arrange clinic-assisted, at-home, or intercourse-based donations, with options to negotiate payment. The app sidesteps vital safeguards that licensed clinics uphold, so we’re here to share how important it is to avoid this.

Why does this matter?

Under UK law, licensed sperm donation is carefully regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). This means:

A single donor can help a maximum of 10 families.
Donors must pass extensive infectious disease and genetic screening.
Donations must occur in controlled, clinical environments.
Donors are compensated a fixed amount of up to £45.

In contrast, unregulated private arrangements bypass these safeguards entirely, posing serious concerns for the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved.

What are the risks of using unregulated sperm donation?

When donations happen outside licensed clinics, key safeguards disappear. These are not hypothetical dangers; they have unfortunately already played out in real-life UK cases before.

Medical risks to recipients and donor-conceived children

Unscreened donors may carry infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis B or C, syphilis, or chlamydia. Genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis or thalassemia may also go undetected. These are routinely screened for in licensed clinics to prevent harm to the recipient and future child.

Without lab-based collection and tracking, the chain of custody breaks down, and the recipient has no way to verify whose sample they’ve received or if it meets any clinical standards.

Legal complications

Using a licensed clinic means donors waive parental rights and cannot be listed on the child’s birth certificate.

However, informal arrangements come with no such protections:

Donors may retain legal rights and could later seek involvement or parental recognition.
Recipients may face legal disputes or unexpected contact from donors.
Donors may become liable for child support.

For example, in the UK case of Robert Charles Albon (also known as “Joe Donor”), a man who fathered over 180 children through informal donation, later pursued parental rights. A judge described the case as a “nightmare,” highlighting the lack of legal safeguards in unregulated arrangements.

Ethical and emotional risks for donor-conceived children

Without proper records or registry reporting, there is no traceability or limit to the number of families a donor could create. This not only increases the risk of accidental consanguinity later in life, but also undermines donor-conceived individuals’ right to access information about their origins; a right recognised by UK law.

Safeguarding and exploitation concerns

Unregulated platforms allow users to arrange intercourse-based donations or offer payment, which introduces major ethical and safety issues:

Individuals may be at risk of coercion or physical harm, especially when meeting alone.
Payment can create a power imbalance and expose vulnerable individuals to exploitation.
Donors may misrepresent their identity, health status, or number of prior donations.

Without formal contracts, counselling, or external oversight, there is no accountability.

Why should you use a regulated sperm bank?

At London Sperm Bank, we follow strict standards to protect everyone involved because you and your future child’s safety is our priority.

We are licensed by the HFEA. Our clinic is regularly inspected by the UK’s fertility regulator, HFEA. This ensures that every donation is legally compliant, medically safe and ethically sound.
All sperm donors go through comprehensive medical screening. All our donors undergo extensive infectious disease testing, genetic screening, semen analysis, and family history assessments. This is critical to protecting the health of recipients and future children.
Ethical, donor-centred care. To protect both donors and recipients, we ensure all donations are made with informed consent, provide lifelong counselling, and accept only those whose motivations align with our values of safety, altruism and ethical responsibility.
Traceability and limits. We strictly adhere to the UK law limiting each donor to helping no more than 10 families. All records are securely stored and traceable.