Sperm Donor Photos

Members often ask, "Can I see photos of the sperm donors?" The answer is usually no.

Most (but not all) sperm donors wish to remain anonymous. When they decide to donate their sperm, they sign a contract with the sperm bank.

Usually, one of the terms in the contract is that the bank agrees to keep the donor's identity private. Some donors do agree to release their identity when any offspring becomes an adult, usually in 18 years. (See our tutorial on ID Release Donors). This doesn't mean you can see the donor's photo now.

Sometimes a donor will give the bank an adult photo on condition that it is used only for photo matching (see our glossary of fertility terms).

Most sperm banks offer some kind of photo-matching service. With photo-matching, you give the bank a photo of your husband/partner or someone else, and the bank selects a donor with similar features or appearance—but you don't get to see a picture of the donor yourself.

That said, some donors do allow their photo to be released, and many provide baby photos. Even when photos are available, sperm banks do not post them on the web for the general public to see; you will usually have to pay a small fee to see a baby or adult photo, often as part of a more detailed donor profile package.

At SpermCenter, we just list whether or not a sperm donor has a photo but we don't specify what kind. You need to contact the sperm bank directly for that information.