"985 high-achieving students, height 180+, 800 yuan direct pregnancy!" This is not a dating software ad, but a terrifying current state of the underground sperm donation market.
80% of sperm donors choose direct sex, and some even have "one-stop service" in hotels.
What's even more terrifying is that this underground industrial chain has infiltrated you and me.
Regular hospitals often cost tens of thousands of yuan, while the black market only costs a few hundred yuan, what kind of trap is hidden in this huge price difference? Who is manipulating this deformed market?
Sperm donation is rampant underground
In recent years, with the increase in the number of infertile people, the demand for sperm has also increased.
However, due to the shortage of resources and cumbersome processes in formal sperm banks, some people turn to underground sperm donation channels. After nearly half a month of investigation, a reporter from the Yangtze River Business Daily found that the "underground sperm donation" market was mixed and there were many chaos.
The reporter contacted a number of people who claimed to be sperm donors through the Internet.
A man from Shanghai said he had successfully impreggated three people. He said that the sperm donation process is usually for both parties to open two rooms in the same hotel, and he notifies the other party to come to collect the sperm after collecting it.
Male A said that he did not care about the remuneration, but asked the other party to inform the location and the gender of the child to prevent the risk of consanguineous birth.
Man A also revealed that he already has a three-year-old daughter, who helped others have children through self-help sperm donation. He stressed that he was only allowed to help five people get pregnant, including his own daughter.
Another B man from Wuhan bluntly said that sperm donation is to make money. He asks for a minimum of 2,000 yuan and a maximum of 5,000 yuan for each sperm donation.
Male B even said that he could provide "direct conception" services, claiming that this would have a higher success rate.
When asked about his thoughts on the future, Man B said disapprovingly: "For men, having a child is just a sperm donation, and it is not difficult.
Man B also revealed that he once helped a sperm seeker from Hong Kong to conceive successfully, and the other party gave him a reward of 10,000 yuan.
What is even more shocking is that some sperm donors have organized themselves to carry out this "business". Man C from Tianjin revealed that he joined a sperm donation mutual aid group, with a 40-year-old man as the "leader".
This organization has ties with some private hospitals, and organizes members to donate sperm to hospitals or nearby hotels. Each sperm donation can get 3,000-4,000 yuan, but at least 1,000 yuan must be handed over to the "boss".
Man C said that if surrogacy is needed, he can also match, "There are still some resources in hand, and many people who seek sperm are also old, so there is actually a lot of demand for surrogacy." "
The reporter's investigation also found that some websites and forums have become platforms for underground sperm donation transactions. A website that claims to be "China's largest private self-help sperm donation network" claims to have more than 15,000 members and more than 20,000 members in the QQ sperm donation exchange group.
The website has even opened up a "Sperm Seeking Zone", "Sperm Donation Zone" and "Surrogacy Zone", and divides surrogate mothers into five levels: A, B, C, D, and E, with fees ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 yuan. "
Seeking a son is desperate and takes risks
Although this behavior is suspected of being illegal, there are still many people who choose to donate sperm underground.
One of the main reasons for this is the difficulty of formal access. There are only 19 human sperm banks in the country that can legally provide sperm, and most sperm banks are seriously short of sperm due to the lack of sperm donation volunteers.
Taking the Hubei Provincial Human Sperm Bank as an example, despite the 5,000 yuan subsidy, it is still difficult to recruit enough sperm donation volunteers.
The formal sperm donation process is complex, requiring rigorous screening and multiple tests, and the entire process can take several months. Even after screening, sperm donors will need to donate 8 to 15 times to complete the process.
According to the staff of the Hubei Provincial Human Sperm Bank, in order to ensure the quality of sperm, sperm donors not only need to be strictly screened, but also the sperm donation process is also complicated.
If they meet the conditions of "22-45 years old and in good health", after the appointment meeting, the sperm donor must sign an informed consent form and register relevant information, including identity information and fingerprints.
Subsequently, the semen quality inspection is carried out, and if the inspection meets the requirements, other inspections will be started, and if the requirements are not met, they will be eliminated directly. Volunteers who are qualified for semen must also undergo 18 tests for HIV, chromosomes, etc., and if these tests fail, they will also be eliminated.
For families who are eager to have children, the waiting time is long and difficult. Ms. Nguyen, 37, had to choose artificial insemination with donor sperm because her husband was suffering from asthenospermia.
However, she was told by multiple sperm banks that she would have to wait more than a year. Taking into account factors such as examinations, surgeries, and the possibility of failure, it will take more than two years for a child to be born at the earliest.
Ms. Ruan said helplessly: "This kind of life is like a year, we have to think of other ways." "
The cost of artificial insemination in formal medical institutions is also an important factor. Generally speaking, only about 15% of artificial insemination can be successful at one time, and it usually takes about 3 times to succeed.
The cost of each operation is often tens of thousands of yuan, which is a big burden for many families.
Cai Xueyong, director of the Reproductive Center of Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, pointed out: "The proportion of artificial insemination that can be successful at one time is only about 15%, and it usually takes about three times to succeed. "
In contrast, the underground sperm donation marketplace offers much lower prices. Some sperm donors even charge only a few hundred dollars for "nutrition". This huge price difference has a strong appeal to some families with limited economic conditions.
Director Cai Xueyong explained: "Private sperm donation is more like a package transaction, in the underground transaction, the seller will often promise in the form of a contract, in order to ensure the success rate, will continue to 'cooperate' until the buyer is pregnant.
And they all adhere to an unwritten rule of the game, if the buyer is unable to conceive, only half of the deposit is charged. "
In addition, there are other reasons why some families choose to donate sperm underground. For example, some people may not be able to pass the rigorous screening of formal sperm banks because they are older or in poor physical condition.
There are also those who want to be able to choose the characteristics of the sperm donor, such as height, education, etc., which is not allowed in the formal route.
A woman who chose to donate sperm underground said: "We found a surrogacy agency in Guangzhou and quoted 900,000 yuan to go to Thailand for surrogacy. At present, the couple is scraping together money to prepare for a try. "
This reflects that some families do not hesitate to take risks in order to have children, and even choose illegal channels such as transnational surrogacy.
There are many hidden dangers and it is difficult to supervise
The existence of the underground sperm donation market is not only illegal, but also hides many risks.
The first is the health risk. Nie Huan, a doctor of sexology at Wuhan Puren Hospital, pointed out that self-help sperm donation can lead to intrauterine infection, and if the sperm donor carries an infectious disease, almost 100% of the fertilized person will be infected.
Formal artificial insemination requires a rigorous process of washing sperm to kill pathogens, which is obviously not possible with underground sperm donation.
Dr. Nie Huan explained: "Formal artificial insemination has very strict requirements for sperm, and there is a sperm washing process, which is to ensure that infectious agents are killed.
Obviously, this is something that self-help sperm donation can't do. If the sperm donor has a chromosomal or genetic disorder, it is a no-brainer for the recipient. "
There is also genetic risk. If a sperm donor carries a genetic disease, it will spell disaster for the fertilized family. Genetic testing and chromosomal testing are expensive, and these tests are rarely performed for underground sperm donation.
Then there are ethical risks. Formal sperm banks limit one person's sperm to a maximum of 5 people to prevent possible ethical issues in the future.
Underground sperm donors may provide sperm to multiple people, potentially leading to unimaginable ethical dilemmas in the future.
Finally, there are legal risks. Li Haifu, a lawyer at Wuhan Jinwei Law Firm, said that the mainland explicitly prohibits surrogacy and the sale of sperm and eggs.
Even if the parties sign a so-called "self-help sperm donation agreement", this behavior is an invalid civil act and is not protected by law. If a dispute arises in the future, such as a dispute over child custody, it will be a complex legal dilemma.
Hidden social problems
The existence of the underground sperm donation market not only reflects the uneven distribution of medical resources, but also exposes a series of deep-seated social problems.
With the development of society, more and more people choose to marry later and have children later, but their fertility decreases with age. This has led to an increase in infertility rates and an increase in the demand for assisted reproductive technologies.
In traditional Chinese culture, succession is regarded as a major life event. Infertility is often seen as a "defect" that puts a lot of stress on many families. This pressure may motivate some people to take the plunge and opt for underground sperm donation.
Although surrogacy and the sale of sperm and eggs are explicitly prohibited in the mainland, the supervision of the underground sperm donation market is still insufficient. The existence of such gray areas provides opportunities for criminals to take advantage of.
Moreover, high-quality medical resources are concentrated in large cities and tertiary hospitals, which makes it difficult for people in many places to obtain high-quality assisted reproductive services. This imbalance has exacerbated the boom in the underground sperm donation market.
Resources:
Xinhua reporters revealed the secret of the underground industrial chain of surrogacy - Xinhua News Agency
A 34-year-old master's student died in the sperm collection room after donating sperm 4 times in 11 days-Dayang.com-Guangzhou Daily
The undercurrent of "underground self-help sperm donation" is surging, and there are sperm donors who provide direct conception - Yangtze River Business Daily