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SHANGHAI Sperm Bank, which has been in operation for five years, has provided 6,000 samples to six provinces and municipalities across the nation, allowing some 700 women to get pregnant and deliver 438 healthy babies.
The bank contains 25,719 samples from 804 qualified donors. That's a third more than last year, but officials said it was still far from enough since there was always a lack of donors and a decline in sperm quality.
Eight to 10 percent of married couples in the nation are infertile, and about 10 percent of them turn to a sperm bank for help in having a child.
The quality and vitality of male sperm has dropped by 40 to 50 percent in the past 50 years worldwide. "During the five-year operation, only 20 percent of volunteers successfully give donation. The majority was discarded due to its poor quality," said Dr Li Zheng, director of the sperm bank at Renji Hospital.
He said the causes of declining quality were food additives, environmental pollution, radiation, unhealthy lifestyles and stress.
Sperm donation has not been accepted by the public in the same light as blood donation and stem cell donation and, at present, university students and young office clerks are the main donor pool.
"More education is needed to improve recognition of sperm donation," Li said. "In fact, any healthy man under 40 is encouraged to give donations to help infertile families."
He said every volunteer had to undergo a strict checkup to eliminate hidden diseases. For every donor, the bank offered a free physical checkup and medical consultation.
To perfect the bank's proper operation and protect the rights of donors and recipients, the hospital authorities launch regular checkups on ethics issues to ensure each donor fully understands the donation process and requirements before agreeing. A single male can only be involved in five pregnancies.
Bank officials said they were making efforts to improve the service but were facing a long-term shortage of qualified donors.
The bank welcomes more healthy men to join. Anyone interested should log on to www.spermwindow.com or call 63732926.
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