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How do sperm banks work?

A question about sperm banking and long-distance relocation

  • I will be banking sperm in the next few months. Right now I live in Texas. When it comes time to use that sperm, Partner and I will be... well, wherever the job market takes us — probably hundreds or even thousands of miles away. It will be impractical for us to travel back to Texas once a month until Partner is pregnant. Her family has a history of fertility trouble, and it may well take us many tries. If I'm going to bank sperm, it has to be now — it can't wait until we know where we're moving. So: what can/should we do? Can sperm be transferred between banks? Can banked sperm be shipped directly to the, uh, consumer? And especially: Have you ever done anything like this and made it work? What can we do now to prevent headaches later?

  • Answer:

    It comes (or used to come) in a dry ice shipper tank or cooler so it isn't your standard FedEx box. Your facility can charge anything up to $200 for domestic (US) prep, packaging and shipping. Again, out-of-state shipping charges are something you should ask about because it vary from facility to facility.

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You need to confer with potential local sperm banks directly, before banking, but it can absolutely be FedExed to you. Different banks will have different rules about a) FedExing and b) whether they'll ship only to a licensed fertility clinic, or c) directly to you. But if what you want is to bank today in Texas and withdraw in 2 years in Hawaii or another US state, that is certainly no big deal if you choose the right bank to store with. If you are looking at a foreign country, however, you'll need to vet that destination more closely because some countries have importation regulations.

DarlingBri

Yes, sperm can be shipped from clinic to clinic, and in some cases from clinic to house. We live in Montreal and ours made the trip from the southern US to Canada. If you are in another country there may be some issues with compliance with local laws. Your sperm bank should have more information.

Cuke

(A follow-up question, if y'all don't mind: When you had yours shipped, was it treated as an expensive extra service, or did you just pay for shipping and handling?)

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We were paying for the sperm at the same time as the shipping so costs wouldn't be the same (about $500/shot for us, including the sperm, 6 years ago, in Canada). It was shipped to a clinic for us. Friends had theirs shipped to their house and they said it came in a tank, in dry ice, as per Darling Bri. If you end up doing the insemination at a clinic there will be other costs as well depending on what you do - ultrasounds, drugs, etc.

Cuke

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