Subprime Crisis in Indian Sperm Banks

Increasingly, there are not enough ‘quality’ sperm donors in the country. And foreigners are not allowed to donate. This bank, too, is in bad shape. First conceived to improve the chances of assisted reproduction, sperm banks in the country are increasingly finding it hard to entice donors. And those who do drop by are donating substandard stuff—an estimated 90 per cent of the samples are of ‘low quality’. Though assisted reproduction is now receiving societal sanction, sperm donation continues to be taboo. College boys out to seek easy money (Rs 200 to Rs 500 per session) are most eager to donate. An under-reported fact of Indian life today is that male infertility is on the rise. As a result, couples are increasingly approaching sperm banks for artificial insemination. But they don’t have an impressive array to choose from. A chief reason behind the lack of ‘quality’ sperm donors is that banks are reluctant to advertise. “We are scared of being attacked by those who do not understand it,” says a doctor who runs a sperm bank. Also, few banks provide a well-equipped facility for sample collection, or even artificial stimulation like pornographic material. Often, the collection room is the common toilet of a hospital. Not exactly a pleasant experience. The stored semen (which can last upto 15 years) are classified into three categories: colour of the donor’s hair (black, brown), complexion (fair, dark, wheatish) and height. While donors are hard to come by, banks are seeing a surge in men who want to know if they are fertile or if they have any diseases. An intriguing consequence of the lack of ‘quality’ donors is that family members—fathers-in-law or brothers-in-law, for instance—are beginning to donate sperms to their women.