Semen the sexual fluid of human contains sperm, giving a new life can be stored in a bank for later use.
Who can start banking?
Any individual, or organization can bank or store semen or sperm applying local, regional and international laws can start semen banking.
Why to start a semen or sperm banking? What is the need?
There is great need for both the self and to the society. First, these semen banks provide sperm to infertility clinics, where sperm is used for artificial insemination (process of artificially injecting semen in women’s egg). Secondly, when the male person is going for vasectomy (male contraceptive or birth control) he can bank his semen for future use. However there might be many reasons that cannot be listed.
Who can deposit semen or sperm in bank? Healthy individual, say in the age of 20 - 40 years, without family illness, without genetic or hereditary disease, can be selected. The donor is preferably double checked for AIDS or HIV, Sexually transmitted disease(STDs), and Hepatitis virus.
Who is a good donor?
Young healthy men, satisfying above and having better qualities like sperm count greater than 100 million per millimeter, motility of 70 - 80 percent. Select a donor (biological father) who is similar to the legal father in phenotype (skin, eye, and hair color, height, weight, etc.)
Who can donate?
Any person, who is bold enough to deposit his semen or sperm voluntarily, can donate his semen or sperm. Or, a person may be contacted based on his healthy status by referrals. Both, the parties involved, the banking organization and depositor must have clear terms and conditions as this involves lot of legal, ethical and social implications in long term perspective.
How it is stored? What is the actual process of storage?
Semen is stored by cryopreservation, which freezes the semen sample and stores at minus 196 degrees Celsius in liquid nitrogen. Semen is converted into a suspension, mixed with an equal quantity of the cryoprotectant medium. The medium prevent sperm damage at very low temperature. Load it into a number of uniquely labeled and sealed plastic straw and placed in steel tubs of liquid nitrogen. Freeze them to minus 196 degree Celsius. After a day, take some sample straws, thaw them, check to see how many sperms survived the cold. This process is called
cryosurvival. To be accepted they should have at least 25 to 40 million motile sperms. After storing the accepted sperms for 6 months in cold storage again tested for HIV or AIDS virus, Hepatitis virus, and STDs. Then, finally allowed usage.
Who can use the bank semen or sperm?
Person who has deposited for his own use can use it later. Or, a person requiring artificial insemination must request a semen bank for usage, applying local, regional and international laws.
Ethical or Social Issues ?
There are some ethical, social and emotional issues. In cases, the legal father of the child should be bold enough to accept his handicap and show his unconditional love to the child. Suppose if an unmarried women wants to have baby by means of artificial insemination who will be the legal father, will the biological father has any role here. Or, what will happen if a boy and a girl belonging to same biological father but different legal father wishes to marry each other.
I have No decisive or conclusive answers, Do you have it ?