So what exactly is The Seed Scout?
When looking to start their family, founders Danielle and Paige knew there had to be a better way to find a donor than the standard sperm banks. It seemed that no matter where they looked, they ran into unethical sperm banks trying to profit off of unsuspecting parents without much care for their future children.
The Seed Scout is an ethical donor matchmaking concierge service that connects prospective parents with known sperm donors. There has been much research about how the current sperm donation industry is not built to support the well-being of donor-conceived individuals. Seed Scout is committed to prioritizing positive, healthy outcomes for all families that use their services.
How do standard sperm banks function?
Sperm banks operate globally with very little federal or state oversight. As more donor conceived children become of age, it is more apparent every day how some of their practices are harmful, if not downright unethical.
Unknown or Anonymous Donors
-
The majority of donors from sperm banks are either fully anonymous or anonymous until their offspring reaches 18 years of age when they can receive identifying information about their donor. Even when information is released to the donor conceived individuals, the donors are not required to respond to their outreach.
-
Perhaps most heartbreakingly, there is no requirement to share serious genetic medical diagnoses with any children that are born using the donor sperm. This has led to many issues where families lack basic medical history information that could have allowed them to help their children.
Large Donor Sibling Pods
-
Banks stop selling vials from a donor when 25 families have report a live birth (NOT when 25 families have purchased vials). It is estimated that approximately 30% of births are reported to the banks. This suggest that significantly more than 25 families are using the same donor.
-
Banks regularly sell leftover vials to international banks for additional distribution when they reach their US family limit.
-
There are currently some donor pods of 200+ children.
Donor Policies
-
Available sperm donors in the United States differs greatly from the demographics of the US male population. Based on research completed in 2023, Black sperm donors represent 3% of available sperm (despite being 11% of the population) and Hispanic sperm donors represent 5% of available sperm (despite being 19% of the population).
-
Sperm banks often don’t have policies that require a diverse sperm donor pool to reflect the diversity of their clientele.
So how is The Seed Scout different? The Seed Scout provides an ethical option for prospective parents looking to build their families by matching them with known sperm donors.
The Seed Scout Donor Backgrounds
-
The Seed Scout is committed to providing more diverse donor options than regular sperm banks to support the diversity of its clientele.
-
Of the 251 current donors, 36 identify as black, 29 identify as hispanic, and 20 identify as Jewish. Our donors represent more than 65 unique ethnicities and backgrounds.
-
Currently, over 81% identify as LGBTQ+ which as a group have been historically unable to donate sperm due to homophobia and bias in the sperm donation industry.
-
We are committed to finding sperm donors that reflect the diversity of our country. If you are looking for a particular donor to reflect your race or ethnicity, reach out and we can get to work.
The Seed Scout Family Limits
-
The Seed Scout has a family limit of three (or one for exclusive packages) helping to ensure that sibling cohorts remain small and that children are able to have a relationship with their donor if, desired.
-
All donors must agree not to donate via sperm banks, other matchmaking services, or to strangers.
-
Sperm donors are able to build their own family or support a close friend with their fertility process.
The sperm donation industry solved a real need for many people, but has been slow to change. Sperm banks are more focused on their profits than the well-being of individuals conceived via their donors. The Seed Scout provides a viable alternative to the status quo by matching families with known sperm donors and helping to conceive their children in the most ethical way possible.
