There's an app for everything these days. Need sperm? There's now an app for that (no, not Tinder).
Yep, the London Sperm Bank has made an app that lets users look at sperm donors. And there's a lot of them. At any given time, the London Sperm Bank has 25,000 vials of donor sperm, making it the United Kingdom's largest sperm donor catalog.
According to the app's description, profiles of the donors include "comprehensive detail, complete with physical characteristics, achievements, donor self-summaries, staff impressions, pen sketches and much more." Personality type, education level, height, weight, age, ethnicity, skin tone, religion, nationality, hair color, eye color, it's all there. No pictures though, and instead of names, the profiles include a donor number, as donors remain anonymous.
You can browse more generally, or you can filter your search or look at the newest donors. If you already have an idea of what you want in your sperm, the app has a Wish List feature that lets users tell the London Sperm Bank exactly what they're looking for, so you can be swiping for the sperm that's best for you. Once your Wish List is set up, you'll receive immediate alerts when a donor who meets your standards is available.
If you like what you see, you can order sperm, which will then be delivered to whichever registered clinic you choose. The sperm samples cost about £950 (which is about $1,200, but the app isn't available outside of the U.K.), regardless of whether you use the app or do it the old fashion way.
Unlike Tinder, which allows anybody to put themselves up for a swiping, the donors in the catalog have to meet standards set by the British Andrology Society, the British Fertility Society and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). According to the International Business Times, donors, who are paid £35, must be between 18 and 41 years old. They have to be healthy and in shape too, and can't have a family history of genetic conditions. If you've had unprotected sex with multiple partners in the last six months, you're out of luck. While donors are anonymous, children of donors can request identifying information when they turn 18.
Critics say the app trivializes parenthood, but the London Sperm Bank clapped back in a statement, "Ordering sperm from an online catalogue or an app does not trivialise treatment, and every step meets the requirements of the HFEA." Their patients, the statement said, "appreciate the immediacy and freedom to choose at their leisure, using a model they are familiar with."
The statement concluded, "Donor recruitment according to the old model of advertising is unlikely to succeed, but by embracing new technologies we have shown that it can thrive and prosper."
