Getting sperm from a sperm bank involves choosing a cryobank, browsing donor profiles, selecting your vial type, and having it shipped to your clinic or home. The process is straightforward but involves several decisions about donor characteristics, vial preparation, and logistics that are worth understanding before you start.
Choosing a Sperm Bank
Most people work with one of the major U.S. cryobanks, which operate primarily online. You browse donor catalogs, place orders, and arrange shipping through the bank’s website. Some well-known options include California Cryobank, Seattle Sperm Bank, Fairfax Cryobank, and The Sperm Bank of California, though there are others. Each bank has a slightly different catalog size, pricing structure, and set of donor details available.
All FDA-regulated sperm banks are required to screen donors for the same core set of infectious diseases: HIV-1 and HIV-2, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, West Nile virus, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Donated semen from anonymous donors must be quarantined for at least six months, and the donor is retested after that period before the samples are released. Banks also typically go beyond FDA minimums with genetic carrier screening and family health histories, though the depth of those extras varies by bank.
Browsing and Selecting a Donor
Donor catalogs let you filter by physical traits (height, eye color, hair color, ethnicity), education level, occupation, and sometimes personality questionnaires or staff impressions. Many banks offer basic profile information for free, then charge for extended profiles, childhood photos, or audio interviews. You can spend anywhere from an hour to several weeks on this step.
One key choice is the donor’s privacy level. Most banks now categorize donors as either “anonymous” or “Open ID.” An Open ID donor (sometimes called “ID Disclosure”) has agreed to let donor-conceived individuals access identifying information once they reach adulthood, typically age 18. Anonymous donors have not made that agreement, though true anonymity is becoming harder to guarantee in the era of consumer DNA testing. Some banks, like Seattle Sperm Bank, now only offer Open ID donors. This decision doesn’t affect the medical quality of the sperm, but it matters for any future child who may want to know their biological origins.
Picking the Right Vial Type
Sperm banks sell vials prepared for different fertility procedures, and ordering the wrong type can mean delays or wasted money. The main categories are:
- ICI vials contain unwashed sperm suspended in seminal fluid. These work for intracervical insemination, where sperm is placed near the cervix. ICI can be done at home with a syringe or at a clinic.
- IUI vials contain washed and concentrated sperm with the seminal fluid removed. These are required for intrauterine insemination, where a clinician threads a thin catheter through the cervix and places sperm directly in the uterus. Placing unwashed semen into the uterus is unsafe, so IUI vials must be processed. This procedure is always done in a clinic.
- IVF/ICSI vials are prepared for in vitro fertilization and contain fewer sperm per vial since the lab only needs a small number. These are the least expensive option per vial.
If you buy an ICI vial but later decide on an IUI procedure, a fertility lab can wash it before use, though that adds cost and an extra step. An IUI vial, already washed, can also be used for at-home insemination, so some people choose IUI vials for flexibility.
What It Costs
Donor sperm is not cheap, and prices have risen sharply. A 2025 analysis in the journal Fertility and Sterility found the median cost of a single IUI vial is $1,625, with a range of roughly $1,170 to $2,195 depending on the bank. ICI vials run slightly less at a median of $1,495. IVF vials average around $1,337, and ICSI vials (which contain the least sperm) average $1,195. Open ID and ID Disclosure donors cost more across all vial types.
These prices have jumped significantly. One bank’s IUI vials went from $995 in 2023 to $1,495 in 2025, a roughly 50% increase in two years. Most people need more than one vial per attempt, and it often takes multiple cycles to conceive, so budgeting for three to six vials is common. Many banks offer multi-vial discounts or payment plans.
Beyond the vials themselves, you’ll pay for storage if you buy extra vials to hold for future use. Annual storage fees at a cryobank facility typically run around $300 per year for all your vials combined, with some banks offering six-month billing at around $175. Shipping adds another $375 to $475 per tank shipment domestically, depending on speed.
Ordering and Shipping
Once you’ve selected a donor and vial type, you place your order through the sperm bank’s website. Most banks require a physician’s name and clinic address on the order, because FDA-required paperwork must accompany the samples. If you’re planning a clinic-based procedure like IUI or IVF, the vials ship directly to your fertility clinic or OB-GYN’s office.
For at-home insemination with ICI vials, some banks will ship directly to your home. The sperm arrives in a liquid nitrogen vapor tank, a specialized container that keeps the vials frozen during transit. You’ll coordinate your shipping date with your ovulation timing, since the tank maintains temperature for a limited window. Standard shipping is two-day, with overnight and Saturday delivery available at higher cost.
Talk to your clinic before ordering. They’ll confirm which vial type you need, how many to order, and when to schedule delivery relative to your cycle. Some clinics have preferred banks they work with regularly, which can simplify the paperwork.
How Many Vials to Buy
Most fertility professionals recommend purchasing more than one vial at a time, for a few practical reasons. First, your chosen donor could sell out or retire from the program, and if you want biological siblings in the future, having extra vials from the same donor matters. Second, IUI success rates per cycle hover around 10 to 20%, so multiple attempts are the norm rather than the exception. Buying several vials upfront and storing them at the bank or your clinic protects against both scenarios.
Legal Considerations
When you use sperm from a licensed sperm bank, the donor generally has no legal parental rights or obligations. In most U.S. states, the intended parent or parents are recognized as the legal parents regardless of biological relationship. California law, for example, explicitly establishes that the person who intended to raise the child is the legal parent when assisted reproduction is used.
These protections typically apply when the donation goes through a licensed sperm bank or is facilitated by a medical professional. Using a known donor outside of a bank, such as a friend, introduces more legal complexity and usually requires a separate donor agreement drafted by a lawyer. Laws vary by state, so understanding your local rules before you start is important, particularly for unmarried couples or single parents.