Donor Birth Limits

Fairfax Cryobank’s sperm donor birth limits

What are family limits?

The number of children that can be born from the same donor.  

How do we track it?

When an order is placed, a family slot for the donor(s) purchased is immediately blocked in our tracking system. The number of slots available could be the HFEA family limit of 10, or the donor could choose a smaller number of families as his individual limit. When all the slots are blocked, the donor will be removed from the donor search.

Did you know?

Fairfax Cryobank does not charge to reserve family slots, unlike most sperm banks. This means you can select as many different donors as you wish without paying hundreds if not thousands more. Be sure to check the extra fees.  

Fairfax Cryobank creates sperm donor birth limits based on the application of several criteria.

Specifically, a donor’s sales will cease when 10 families (children from the same donor living in one home) have been reported in the UK per the guidelines of the HFEA. After the family limits have been met, vials will only be distributed in the UK for sibling pregnancies.

Families who have children by the same donor will be sold additional donor units, if available, as ‘Sibling Pregnancy Only’ units.

In order to help us monitor the number of births associated with any donor, it is important that everyone be diligent in reporting births to us. Please go to the pregnancy reporting page on our website or call us with your information.

If a donor has reached his family limit, reactivation of that donor may be available for sibling pregnancies.

Reactivation means that a donor can be asked to provide additional samples after he has left the program. The donor must first agree to be reactivated and if he does the client agrees to pay all costs which typically exceed several thousand dollars.

Sperm Donor Birth Limits in the UK – Infographic

Fairfax Cryobank, the trusted sperm bank since 1986, enforces birth restrictions on sperm donors around the globe. View the infographic below to learn about the sperm donor birth limits in the UK and around the world.

Questions about Donor Birth Limits?

Questions about donor sperm availability or regulated limits in the UK? Contact our Client Services team at global@fairfaxcryobank.com or call 0800-404-9186.