The hidden costs of artificial reproductive technology

The hidden costs of artificial reproductive technology


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SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of children are conceived across the United States, including in Utah, using donated sperm or eggs. Some people do not know they were conceived through the use of a donor until they reach an age when their parents feel they can better understand the complex nature of their conception.

Other people who are the products of donor conception never know the truth of their biological origins. Since artificial insemination technologies have been in practice for well over 30 years, this means grown adults in the United States may not realize one of their parents is not biologically related to them.

A parent’s perspective

In 1992, Rebecca Blackwell conceived a son with a virtual stranger. After looking through the files of numerous sperm donors at the Sperm Bank of California, she settled on a donor whose photograph and profile looked suitable. Later, Blackwell’s son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and a genetic heart defect, both of which she says her son inherited from his anonymous father.


After conducting her own research, Blackwell said she was not surprised to learn that other children conceived with the same donor's sperm also had health problems. What did surprise Blackwell was that the same donor had conceived at least 36 children.

After conducting her own research, Blackwell said she was not surprised to learn that other children conceived with the same donor’s sperm also had health problems. What did surprise Blackwell was that the same donor had conceived at least 36 children, even though the Sperm Bank of California limited how many times his sperm was used. What the sperm bank did not know was that the donor had registered at other sperm banks, increasing how much he could make from his sperm donations.

When Blackwell eventually tracked down the anonymous sperm donor, she learned he was not aware of his health problems at the time he donated sperm. Once the donor learned of his health problems, he did not contact the Sperm Bank of California, or the other sperm banks where he donated, so that the mothers who used his sperm could know of the potential health problems facing their children.

Blackwell’s experience using a sperm donor is not unique, with other parents who have used donated sperm later learning their donors passed on genetic diseases. Jennifer Jones of Australia did not use a sperm donor to conceive, but instead sought the assistance of an egg donor. Unlike Blackwell, Jones did not pay for her donor’s egg, but she did pay all of her donor’s related medical costs.

Jones’ son did not inherit any adverse medical conditions from his donor mother, but the situation of his conception still presented some unique challenges. Because of her strong desire to conceive a child later in life, Jones said she had tunnel vision about any effects resulting from using an egg donor. However, Jones admitted to having had one fear about using a donor’s egg. “I didn’t want to foresee a woman who may want to cuddle my child or visit and be thinking this was her baby, because deep down I knew this baby biologically would be her baby. I was not and still am not equipped to deal with this,” said Jones.

Despite her fear, Jones and the donor decided they wanted contact, and so Jones established a relationship with the donor and her family. What Jones was not equipped for was the turbulent relationship with the donor that followed. Jones felt jealous as she watched her son interact with the donor and her family, realizing that she was the only one in the room not biologically related to her son.

Jones continued to maintain the relationship with her son’s donor, despite her feelings of jealousy. She did not want her son “feeling like he was some dark, embarrassing secret” by keeping from him the truth of his conception. Eventually the donor met a man and had children. The donor then cut off all contact with Jones and her son, leaving Jones to explain the complex situation to her young child.

Financial transactions

By the numbers ...
Receiving a donation
  • The cost to receive donated sperm varies on average between $1,450 and $2,500 (Sperm Bank of California).
  • The cost of in vitro fertilization can be anywhere from $8,900 to $18,850 (Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine)
  • The cost of medications needed for in vitro fertilization to be successful can range between $1,200 to $3,000 (Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine).
Giving a donation
  • The majority of sperm donors are college students, who are trying to supplement their income with a potential extra $6,000 a year. Egg donors stand to make significantly more (Stanford University).

Lindsay Greenawalt, who works at Columbia University Medical Center’s Health Sciences Library as a reference and instruction librarian, was conceived with the use of donor sperm. Greenawalt’s relationship with her mother has been strained because of her tendency to be outspoken on her opinions concerning reproductive technologies.

“The revelation of being donor-conceived can often be earth-shattering,” said Greenawalt. “For one, knowing that your biological father sold you and that your parents bought you … that you are a product of a financial transaction” creates even more negative feelings for a child who was donor-conceived, according to Greenawalt.

Just how big of a financial transaction is conceiving children with donated sperm or eggs? According to the Sperm Bank of California, the cost to receive donated sperm varies on average between $1,450 and $2,500.

The cost of using an egg donor is significantly higher. The Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine, which is part of the University of Utah Health Care system, charges anywhere from $8,900 to $18,850 for in vitro fertilization, with medications running another $1,200 to $3,000. Efforts to receive a statement from the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine went unanswered.

Stanford University says that the vast majority of sperm donors are college students, who are trying to supplement their income with a potential extra $6,000 a year. Egg donors stand to make significantly more, with some clinics paying donors several thousand dollars per egg cycle.

Identity issues

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) website says that anonymous donations are the preferred method of 38 percent of parents seeking donor sperm or eggs, with another 42 percent not favoring known or anonymous donations. ASRM also did not respond to invitations to comment.

Blackwell, Jones and Greenawalt all said that both sperm and egg donors should never be anonymous. Hallie Collins, who is also the product of donor sperm, agreed. “Your origins are something big, they aren’t something that others should be allowed to sweep under the rug for you. … No one except you should have the right to sign away your biological roots,” said Collins. Still, Collins said that she has been called selfish by the parents of other donor children, who have said that Collins’ wanting to know about her biological father is disrespectful to her mother.


Some sperm banks, like the Sperm Bank of California, have programs that release the donor's identity to donor-conceived children once they reach a certain age. ...Still, some clinics do not release any information about donors, keeping the information under lock and key, where even adults conceived through a donor cannot find out any information about their origins.

According to Collins, she endured torment as a donor child growing up in the Bible Belt. Collins said parents would teach their children that Collins was not natural. At one point, Collins’ best friend’s grandmother went so far as to call her a “heathen” because she was the product of artificial insemination.

Some sperm banks, like the Sperm Bank of California, have programs that release the donor’s identity to donor-conceived children once they reach a certain age. In fact, the Sperm Bank of California was the first in the world to create such a program. Children may learn the name, profession and other information about their biological mother or father, as well as learn if they have a family history of certain medical conditions.

Still, some clinics do not release any information about donors, keeping the information under lock and key, where even adults conceived through a donor cannot find out any information about their origins. That, Blackwell said, will eventually result in someone marrying their half-sibling.

A growing community

The Donor Sibling Registry, an online database where donor-conceived individuals and donors can register their information, helps those who know they are a product of sperm or egg donation learn more about their origins. Wendy Kramer founded the registry in 2000 as a way to help donor children, including her own son who was conceived through the use of a donor’s sperm.

The registry, Kramer said, is “not liked very much by the industry.” She said that certain sperm banks, clinics and other organizations in the reproductive technologies industry have labeled her a liar and characterized her as trying to profit off donor-conceived children. She dismissed such accusations as false, adding that the Donor Sibling Registry is registered with the IRS as a not-for-profit organization.

By allowing donor children and their parents to connect with their half-siblings, the registry has brought to light what Kramer termed “reckless practices.” Kramer said she does not want to do away with reproductive technologies but rather that she wants the industry to operate in a more transparent way.

Many offspring

Kramer and others helped uncover a case featured recently in the New York Times, where one sperm donor sired more than 150 children. Another sperm donor was revealed to have at least 74 children, which was the subject of a TLC documentary that aired this past year. Critics have pointed out that so many offspring born to one person can result in a surge of medical conditions that would have otherwise been rare in the population, such as the case with Blackwell’s son and his half-siblings.


When women donate eggs, one egg can only be used for one potential pregnancy. With sperm donations, more potential pregnancies can result from one donation.

When women donate eggs, one egg can only be used for one potential pregnancy. With sperm donations, more potential pregnancies can result from one donation. The Sperm Bank of California’s website says a sperm ejaculation can, on average, be divided into between two and four vials, which may be used on separate women, some or all of whom may then become pregnant.

ASRM posted a statement on its website saying that tracking the number of pregnancies that result from sperm donations can be difficult, if not impossible, to track. The statement also highlighted a survey conducted by ASRM, where over 35 percent of responding parents using a sperm bank did not plan to notify the sperm bank if an insemination resulted in a pregnancy. If more parents using sperm donations were to report results, ASRM asserted, sperm banks would know to stop using sperm from certain donors.

Weighing the options

What does all of this mean for infertile couples or individuals who are considering using donor sperm or eggs? With the high costs associated with reproductive technologies, success rates can help couples and individuals decide if they want to move forward with sperm or egg donations.

Several factors affect the success of artificial fertilization, including the ages of the donor and recipient woman. The Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine reported success rates for in vitro fertilization in 2009, with 44.2 percent of cycles in women under 35 resulting in live births. That number dropped to 25 percent for women 41 to 42 years old. The Sperm Bank of California cites both age and insemination methods as factors affecting its success rates, which can range from 1.1 percent to 28.3 percent.

None of the parents of donor offspring said they regret the decision to conceive using a donor, although they all said that reform in the reproductive technologies industry is needed. Blackwell suggested thoroughly researching a clinic or sperm bank before moving forward, ensuring the clinic sets limits to the number of times the donor’s eggs or sperm are used. She also recommended researching potential donors using the Donor Sibling Registry to find parents who have conceived using the same donors.

Jones questioned the ethics of using sperm or eggs that have been commoditized. In Australia, as well as England and other developed countries, paying donors for the use of their sperm or eggs is now illegal. “We are not allowed to pay our donors. Our donors are exactly that, donors," said Jones.

Some clinics, such as the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine, provide counseling for both donors and parents looking to conceive a child. Few clinics provide ongoing counseling for all of the parties involved, especially for the children who are the offspring of a donor.


Steven Symes is a full-time freelance writer. He can be contacted at stevesymes@gmail.com.

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