A Message from our Executive Director

Ethical Leadership, Innovation, Published Research, Information & Resources, Diversity, Quality & Licensing, Family Services, Empowerment, Testimonials

Starting or expanding your family using donor insemination or sperm storage is a leap into the unknown. Working with THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA is like having a trusted friend by your side on your journey to parenthood. Our knowledgeable and compassionate staff will answer your questions and guide you to resources to help you make important decisions that will affect your family for years to come.  

We understand that most people selecting a sperm donor are focused on the short-term goal of achieving pregnancy. We share this sense of purpose—in fact, we’ve been there. I am a parent through donor-conception and among our staff and advisors we have others also involved with donor conception—parents, former donors and donor-conceived adults. And after conception, you can feel secure that THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA's services for your family will be there too.

We know that many parents want information on how to talk to their children about their conception, assistance with second-parent adoption or are interested in using the same donor for additional children. We understand that children grow up and that many donor-conceived adults are interested in learning more about their donor or are interested in meeting other families who share their donor. We anticipate donors will have questions about how to talk with their future partner or children about having been a donor. 

With research and practical experience as our guides, THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA has developed all of our programs with an unwavering commitment to the well-being of donor-conceived individuals, parents, and donors. To best serve our diverse community, we provide resources that speak to the specific concerns of single moms, lesbian couples, heterosexual couples and transgendered individuals.

Not all sperm banks are the same—especially with regard to services for families long-term.  I encourage you to read more below about the unique experience provided by THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA for building your family and beyond.  

Contact Us to learn more about how we can help you make your dream of family a reality.

Warmly,
Alice Ruby, MPH, MPPM
Executive Director

Ethical Leadership

We are the ethical leader in donor conception with programs that focus on the long-term well-being of the families we help to create. THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA maintains a family limit of no more than 10 families per donor and we track all of our pregnancies and birth outcomes. We are the only sperm bank with an ethicist. 

Innovation

Our pioneering Identity-Release® Program provides donor-conceived adults (18 years or older) the option to learn their donor's identity. The Identity-Release® Program is the oldest and most thoroughly developed open-identity program in the world. 

Published Research

THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA is the only sperm bank in the US to conduct and publish research on family building through donor insemination. Our research program shapes how we provide family-building options, including how best to provide donor identities to adults conceived using TSBC Identity-Release® Program donors, identifying conception methods that work best and general follow-up on the well-being of families assisted by TSBC. 

Information & Resources

As a small donor insemination program, we are able to provide individualized customer service. This includes offering in-person and online resources related to fertility, donor insemination and family-building. We provide free donor profiles and staff impressions of the donors on our online donor catalog. For answers to common questions, we invite you to read our Frequently-Asked Questions. THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA staff members are trained in fertility awareness and can advise you in predicting ovulation so that you can most effectively time your insemination attempts. 

Diversity

We support family diversity and welcome all individuals and families. Two-thirds of the children born through THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA are being raised by lesbian-couples and nearly twenty percent by single parents. We recruit a diverse group of men for our sperm donor program.

Quality and Licensing

We are committed to the highest standards of clinical screening, quality control and confidentiality. THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA is registered as a reproductive tissue bank with the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration), and our comprehensive screening of donors is performed in full compliance with the FDA's regulatory requirements. We hold Tissue Bank and Clinical Lab licenses in California, Maryland, and New York – the three states that impose the most stringent licensing requirements nationally.

Family Services

THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA provides ongoing family services, including our Family Contact List, Sibling Inventory program, second-parent adoption letters, and parenting resources. We offer support and resources to our families and donors now and in the future.

Empowerment

Our roots are in the 1980’s feminist women's health movement. THE SPERM BANK OF CALIFORNIA‘s philosophy is that women should feel empowered to take control of their conception process—regardless of whether inseminating at home, having IUIs in a doctor’s office, or using IVF or other assistance. We can ship to your medical provider’s office or directly to your home, and we provide information on how to inseminate at home. We were the first sperm bank specifically created to serve lesbian couples and single women. Read more about our history on the About Us page.