Study reveals lack of black sperm donors for black women

The study found that sperm donation significantly underrepresents samples from a particular demographic group. Black women seeking to conceive black children have a tough time doing so, given the lack of black male donors.

According to Black men make up lower than 3% of sperm donors. This disparity results in slim probabilities for those in search of a black sperm donor for in vitro fertilization, although black men make up 13% of men within the U.S. However, white men own the bulk of sperm donations, with 61% of sperm donors falling into this demographic.

Despite this disparity, efforts are underway to succeed in potential black male donors. One of those plans is to create a black-owned cryobank. Washington, D.C.-based Reproductive Village Cryobank is trying to deal with this problem, and its owner, Angela Stepancic, is working to secure funding to open a facility. So far, she has raised 35 percent of the $500,000 needed to revive the operation.

The key to getting more black donors, Stepancic says, is constructing trust and accessibility. Her location within the nation’s capital, where census data confirmed 43.5% of the black population hopes to realize each goals.

“I decided to change my mindset from, ‘How can we help you get more donors?’ to, ‘How can we do this for ourselves?’” said Stepancic, who used a Latino sperm donor despite trying to search out a black one. “I know where the blacks are. Just like we created HBCUs for ourselves, we can create this for ourselves.”

According to the study, experts consider this gap stems from the Black community’s lack of trust within the medical system. From systemic racism to untreated pain and experiments just like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, these historical problems have been exacerbated for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic, which has also disproportionately impacted Black communities.

“It’s like, ‘Well, where is my sperm going?’” explains Dr. Denise Asafu-Adjei, director of male reproductive medicine at Loyola Medicine. “‘Who’s going to take this?’ I think that’s definitely more of an anxiety for my minority patients, and I think a lot of that is because of the history of some of these nefarious activities with genetic information.”

This deep-seated distrust, in addition to a reluctance to fuel stereotypes about “irresponsible” black fathers, has led to a big gap amongst black sperm donors.

“I think there’s a fear of being labeled as someone who isn’t part of a child’s life, especially for black people, because that’s a label that’s been assigned to a lot of black men,” explained Dr. Cassie Hobbs, a co-author of the study. “To actively avoid that, they’re avoiding donating blood because they don’t want to have children they don’t know.”

In addition, the necessities for sperm donors might be inaccessible to many. In addition to height, education and sexuality regulations, donors must provide multiple generations of medical history. But that information, for many black people, isn’t all the time available. In addition, public facilities comparable to the Midwest Sperm Bank offer only $70 per donation.

Hobbs added, “Many sperm banks require three-generation medical histories. When we think about black people, many of our grandparents didn’t even have access to care. That definitely puts us at a disadvantage.”

On the opposite hand, alternative methods of obtaining diverse sperm donors are in use. They also require fewer potential donors while paying more. Specifically, Seed Scout in Arlington, Virginia offers donors $5,000. However, their identities usually are not hidden from the client.

Despite the lack of anonymity, Seed Scout strives to offer a more positive medical experience for black men. But that mission extends to all organizations as the hassle to recruit more black sperm donors grows.