“Honestly, right now there is only one sperm bank that I can recommend, and that is The Sperm Bank of California (TSBC).”
Testimonials
— Wendy Kramer, Co-founder and Director of The Donor Sibling Registry, from the Huffington Post "Choosing a Sperm Bank...What to Know" 8/23/17, August 2017
“We can't thank you enough for all your hard work with us today. I can't imagine any of the other banks we considered would have put this much thought, support, honesty, and understanding into helping us.”
— Meghan, January 2017
“Thanks so much for your help and prompt email. Honestly, in that short conversation you proved to be the kindest person I think my husband I have worked with in this whole process - thank you!
— Jennifer , January 2017
“Perfect!! I really appreciate working with TSBC, you have been so tolerant and empathetic, thank you.”
— R~, April 2016
“Thanks! I really appreciate how helpful and responsive you all have been. This process, especially as a single woman, is so intense and can feel difficult in unexpected ways. I have just loved every interaction I have had with TSBC so far, and have felt"
— Erica, April 2016
We have two wonderful children using The Sperm Bank of California who are healthy and happy. We talk about where they came from, and the oldest explains, “Mama and Mom wanted kids, so you got a seed from a donor to make us".
After I reported the first birth, we bought vials and had a second baby from the same donor. Initially we chose this Berkeley sperm bank for their commitment to sharing donor identities with adult children, but since that is a long way off, we joined The Sperm Bank of California's optional family contact list, giving us the satisfaction of current contact with other kids who share the same donor. I feel comfortable knowing there are only ten families per donor, which I think is half of most for-profit sperm banks limits. Because of the ten family limit, eventually our two adult children will have perhaps a smaller set of donor siblings who might be in contact with their donor. If there is mutual interest from the donor and our children, I imagine that less of a crowd would make for a calmer environment for early contact.
— Rebekah, TSBC mom of two, August 2011
Another vote for The Sperm Bank of California. I researched 2 or 3 other banks in California and others nationwide.
Despite the fact that TSBC offered NO donor photos, voice recordings etc, I still chose them over other banks due to low family limit per donor, well supported identity release program, vial prices and general accessibility/professionalism.
Since I first became a client (2007), TSBC has started offering photos of donors providing the donors choose to provide one. Luckily for us, our identity release donor was one that decided to add photos! Yay!
— Kim, July 2011 on Choicemoms.org
The Sperm Bank of California does not dilute their sperm with fillers like many other banks do. An ejaculate yields two vials. Some sperm banks expand that natural amount to six vials. You can imagine what that does to potency.
— Rachel, May 2011 on Choicemoms.org
I entirely agree with Chrissy! The Sperm Bank of California was great & easy to deal with. Their website is simple, but not flashy; their profiles are very personal & thorough. Their ethics are great for both the donors & recipients. And they are very open-minded: more than half of their clients are single women or lesbian couples! I’m expecting my little one in ~6weeks!
— Evelyn, April 2011 on Choicemoms.org
If I understood Mikki correctly, she was asking for us to post here with specific feedback on our experiences with sperm banks. I worked with TSBC (The Sperm Bank of CA) and highly highly recommend them for a host of reasons. In no particular order...
- They are a non-profit (only one in the country to my knowledge.)
- They've got roots in a feminist health center (tells me that they've got a history of being woman-centered and feminist, both important for me.) - They have a long standing (even pioneering, I think) donor identity release program (win-win for the child and mom, in my opinion, and jibes w my research pointing to 'the less secrecy the better' for families using donor-conception.)
- They do extensive social research on the well-being of donor-conceived individuals. (I'm glad that my child has the option of getting identifying information about the donor, particularly from these folks who seem to care so much about the donor-conceived children.)
- They are small, and therefore can offer a surprisingly personal interaction during the process (for example, I talked about one of my possible donor choices w a staff member, and it was clear she actually knew who he was, and she passed along on small details that weren't in the short or long profiles, such as general demeanor, quirkiness, etc.)
- Although they are in Berkeley, CA about as far from me as they could be, they're on a street I've actually been on. (Strange, I know, but it was another thing that made me want to use them!) - They had useful/helpful advice when I wanted it (on website, in written materials, on phone.)
- They have an unusually low family limit for each donor, thereby greatly reducing the number of half siblings my child has. - They were completely and swiftly honest when snafus happened. (My first, and agonizingly/obsessively deliberated-over, donor choice turned out to have the special distinction of being only the second donor in their history to be 'taken off the shelves', and the director herself called me to explain the situation, apologize, and make a plan for what to do about it.)
And of course I mostly love TSBC because they helped me become a mom, which has been the greatest joy in my entire life.
— Chrissy, April 2011 on Choicemoms.org