China's sperm banks face shortage of semen donors

Link : http://uk.news.yahoo.com/041018/323/f4tal.html

BEIJING (AFP) - China's increasingly sophisticated sperm bank industry is facing severe problems as it does not have enough semen to satisfy voracious public demand, state media said.

South China's Guangdong Human Sperm Bank, one of five official centres across the country, is approached by more than 50 couples suffering from sterility problems every month, the China Daily reported.

However, during its 18 months in existence, the sperm bank has attracted only about 350 volunteer donors who passed the strict health examination, according to the newspaper.

As a result, couples who have filed applications with the sperm bank have to wait for several months for sperm, Tang Lixin, a senior doctor at the bank, told the paper.

"Currently, most couples suffering from sterility can seek help from the sperm bank, but many men are still too shy to arrive to the sperm bank to donate their sperm," Tang said.

Wang Zhenquan, a local white-collar worker, said he would never donate sperm in any sperm bank because he was afraid his colleagues, acquaintances and girlfriend would not approve.

Sperm banks are likely to play a growing role in helping Chinese couples, as a recent survey showed more than 10 million families suffered from sterility, the paper said.

The Guangdong bank gets applications not just from local southern Chinese residents, but from all over the country, from Hong Kong and Macau, and even from overseas Chinese communities in South America, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai Municipal Human Germ Cell Bank, another of the industry's big five, has launched a new service, encouraging men to save up for later, according to Xinhua news agency.

The bank now offers to store sperm for young men who do not plan to have children now but fear they will not be able to produce semen of a sufficient amount and quality once they decide to start a family.