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Some banks offer audiotapes of donors and photo matching--a process by which the bank will find a donor who resembles a photo, often of a partner, submitted by the client. Xytex Corp. of Augusta, Ga., goes so far as to offer adult photos and even videos of willing donors. "We shoot them in the clinic in an interview format and also get them in their own environment, with a favorite instrument, say, or just walking in the park," says p.r. director David Towles. Xytex is one of the few that offer so-called identity-release donors, men who agree...
Uncertainties surrounding anonymous donors lead many sperm-bank clients first to seek out a "known donor": the best male friend from high school with the great IQ, say, or the married friend (as David Crosby is to Melissa Etheridge and ex-partner Julie Cypher), with kids of his own. But potential emotional and legal complications can make this approach feel too risky. Using a sperm bank offers more control. "I had one friend who was always whispering his sat score and IQ in my ear," says Chicagoan Laura Rissover, 35. "But in the end, it was very important...
...fact, sperm-bank clients often know more about their donor's genetic and medical history than they might about any men with whom they choose to procreate. Regulations vary according to state law and individual bank policies. (The fda will begin regulating sperm banks in 2003.) But after medical screening and personal interviews, on average only about 4% of willing donors are accepted into programs, where they typically stay for one to two years. Most are between 18 and 40; more than half are students. And their reasons for staying go well beyond the average $75 per specimen...
...Money may be a part of the appeal at first," says Eric, 30, a married engineer and three-year Xytex donor who was deeply affected by a close friend who could not conceive. But Xytex "requires so much time and commitment from you that if you don't have another reason for being here, you don't stick...
...proliferation of women choosing donor insemination has raised new questions, however, such as the risk that half-siblings will accidentally meet and marry. Sims says limitations on the number of specimens any one donor can provide make the risk "highly unlikely." In part to prevent such couplings, Jane Mattes of the 3,000-member group Single Mothers by Choice has started a sibling registry where moms can list their banks and donor numbers. Another concern is that it is impossible to verify family medical histories on donor profiles. Bank staff members say it would be hard for donors...