Frequently Asked Questions
The Seed Scout Purpose, Mission & Process
The Seed Scout is a comprehensive known sperm donor matchmaking resource for family planning. We developed an extensive, personalized screening process for known donors so that we can provide you with the best options to meet your unique needs.
At the Seed Scout, we believe that navigating the donor journey should be a fun, exciting step towards building a family. Here is what the process looks like:
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Step 1: The Seed Scout learns about what you are looking for!
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Step 2: We will show you a catalog of donors that match your criteria and/or we will conduct a search to find additional suitable matches.
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Step 3: Once you have decided on your two favorite donors, we introduce you to them.
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Step 4: Once you and your donor mutually match, we will walk you through the necessary next steps.
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Note that we offer services if you plan to do IVF, IUI or ICI but you must use either a fertility clinic or a nurse-midwife in order to use our services.
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So how are we different from a sperm bank and why does it matter?
More Options: The Seed Scout has a wide range of options and choices as compared to sperm banks, inclusive of donors from various different backgrounds. We are proud to have over 730 donors and we are adding more each week.
Family Limit: The family limit at The Seed Scout is three. This means that your donor will only match with a maximum of two other families. Therefore, the number of half-siblings that your children will have will be exponentially lower than sperm bank donors where family caps generally do not exist. Some donor sibling cohorts can have over 100 children!
Personal Experience: You get to meet your donor beforehand at The Seed Scout. A donor contributes half of your children’s future genetics, so getting to know them beyond a very basic profile is incredibly important. You will have peace of mind knowing that they are a good person.
Donor Contact: Your future children have the opportunity to reach out and/or know details about their donor at the age of your/their choosing. At sperm banks, even “open ID” does not guarantee that a donor will be responsive if and when a child reaches out. Donor conceived people are strongly advocating that all donors should be known donors.
Annual Medical History Update: The Seed Scout donors provide you with an annual update on family medical history. Sperm banks are not obligated to provide any updates on donor family medical history even if they are aware of such updates.
Age of Donors: Donors at The Seed Scout must be at least 24 years old. Sperm banks will recruit college-aged donors who are often not mature enough to make such an important decision.
Donor’s Family Photos: The Seed Scout provides you with photos of your donor’s family so you can see what their parents and siblings look like. Sperm banks only provide a few photos of the donor, sometimes only one baby photo.Anyone who is looking for assistance in finding a known sperm donor to help grow their family is a perfect match for us. This includes LGBTQIA+ couples, single parents by choice and couples with male-factor infertility.
Additionally, To ensure that our donors are treated with respect and dignity, we screen our clients to ensure that they uphold our values as a company before beginning their journey with The Seed Scout.
Logistics & Cost of The Seed Scout?
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Our Fees: We believe in full transparency when it comes to costs. Pricing varies depending on your specific needs, but general service rates can be found here.
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Donor Fees: For our standard package, clients provide a $5,000 payment to the donor. For the exclusive package, the donor fee is $13,000. These payments go directly to the donor at the time of donation and are separate from any clinic-related donation fees paid to the donor's clinic.
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Other Costs: Additional expenses (including donation clinic fees, medical testing, a legal agreement, and other required logistics) typically total around $7,000. These fees are paid directly to the respective providers, attorneys, and clinics involved in the process.
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Through our process, donors are able to complete 4 donations within a one week FDA window. On average, most donors make between 2-5 vials per donation. As a result, you can expect anywhere from 8-20 vials from these 4 donations. We can often help you estimate how many a donor would make based on their initial semen analysis.
Our best estimate for the known donor process is that it can take approximately one month to choose a donor and three months to move through the next steps. There are so many variables that dictate how long this process takes, which means timelines vary from client to client.
Regardless of your timeframe, please contact us to set up your free call because we can still give you information about your options and suggestions for moving forward.-
The donor fee is the amount you pay directly to your chosen donor as compensation for their time, effort, and commitment throughout the process. This fee acknowledges their personal involvement and is paid at the time of donation.
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The donation fee, on the other hand, refers to the medical or clinic costs associated with the actual sperm collection and processing. These fees are paid directly to the fertility clinic and cover the lab work, storage, and any related medical procedures.
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All About The Seed Scout Donors
None of our donors come from anonymous sperm banks, Facebook groups, or apps or websites.
We recruit exclusively through trusted, community-based channels including referrals from our current donors, Instagram posts from retired donors, and in-person outreach at conferences and events. We’re proud to have built our own private network of over 750 donors who are ready, willing, and excited to help families grow.
If you choose our standard package, a donor can donate to 3 families through The Seed Scout. If you choose our exclusive package, the donor only donates to your family through The Seed Scout. We have a clause in our contract with the donor that they have not and will not donate to any banks, Facebook groups, apps/websites, or other matchmaking services. We require that you add the same clause into your legal agreement.
Donors are still permitted to have children of their own, donate to a close friend or to family members if needed.Paige, a board-certified pediatrician, created a comprehensive medical history form that each donor fills out before donating. We review all potential donors' medical questionnaires regarding their personal and family medical history and ask any necessary follow up questions. You have the option to hire a third party genetic counselor to review a donor's health history, evaluate risks, and help you make an informed decision.
Unfortunately, there is no method for The Seed Scout to confirm a donor’s medical history for accuracy. However, we have found that our donors tend to be incredibly thorough when describing their family medical history because we do not disqualify donors for having a medical history.
We have a long list of health conditions we ask about to help prompt them. We always encourage donors to check with their parents and siblings to ensure their health background is as complete as possible. We also inform donors that they are to provide updates about their family medical history to their recipient families on at least an annual basis until children reach 18 years of age.We’re proud to have built one of the most diverse donor networks available. Here is a snapshot of our current donors:
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70 donors identify as Black
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118 donors identify as Hispanic
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131 donors identify as Asian
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54 donors identify as Jewish
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23 donors identify as Middle Eastern
This diversity allows us to better support intended parents seeking donors who share their ethnic or cultural background, especially in communities that are often underrepresented in traditional sperm banks.
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Legal Protection for Your Family
It is important to note that we are not able to provide legal advice. Laws are constantly evolving and we cannot predict what the Supreme Court or State Courts will rule in the future. We can help guide you in the process of picking a lawyer.
Second-Parent Adoption: We require a second-parent adoption for the non-biological parent (if applicable).
Legal Agreement Parties: We require that both parents, the donor and the donor’s spouse (if applicable) sign the agreement.
Attorneys: We require that the couple/individual and the donor have their own independent attorneys.
Psych Evaluations: We require multiple psychological evaluations (donor session, client session and donor/client session).
Location of Insemination: We require inseminations to occur at a medical clinic or with a nurse-midwife.The Oklahoma case was a highly unusual scenario and none of our required protections were followed. Please feel free to ask us additional questions about the facts of this case.
