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Kyle Gordy, a 35-year-old American currently living in Ireland, leads a lifestyle focused on optimizing his fertility. He refrains from drinking alcohol and smoking, consumes only organic foods, drinks filtered water, and takes 30 supplements daily. Gordy works as an online sperm donor and claims to have fathered “dozens” of children worldwide, including three in Scotland. Beyond donating, he manages several Facebook groups dedicated to sperm donation, some boasting over 40,000 members globally. He also operates a website called ‘Be Pregnant Now,’ designed to connect donors with potential recipients.
The UK prohibits the commercial selling of sperm, but unregulated online platforms continue to see a rise in men offering their sperm privately. A quick search on Facebook can reveal pages advertising sperm donors, such as ‘Sperm Donors UK – Get Your BABYDUST Here!’ However, women engaging with online donors often encounter difficulties, including harassment or pressure to engage in unwanted sexual acts. These risks highlight the challenges faced by those seeking sperm outside official medical channels.
Fertility treatment through the NHS offers IVF with donor sperm, but access is limited by a shortage of donors, restricted numbers of treatment rounds, and long waiting lists. For example, in NHS Tayside, patients may wait nearly two years to start IVF. Private clinics, which follow regulation by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), can provide treatment but at a steep cost—often exceeding £10,000 for a single IVF cycle. Hannah Bardell, a former SNP MP, advocates for expanded access to fertility treatments. She expressed surprise at the NHS policy that permits three rounds of IVF for women in couples but denies any to single women, a situation she believes contributes to the growing use of online sperm donation.
Kyle Gordy prefers direct donations to recipients, finding the regulated clinic environment too impersonal. He says, “You don’t know who’s getting it,” when donating through official channels. Additionally, he values maintaining contact with the mothers and children from his donations, stating, “I believe I have a moral obligation to keep in contact with the mothers and children that want to.” In contrast, another online donor from Scotland, who asked to be called James, expressed concern about the vulnerable positions some women find themselves in due to desperation, describing the private donor scene as a “very dangerous situation.” James identifies as an “ethical donor” who wants to help without conditions or sexual motivations, noting a shortage of donors like himself.
The online space for sperm donation has also exposed women to negative experiences. Social media pages reveal instances of harassment, including inappropriate requests for nude images and abusive messages targeting personal characteristics. A woman known as Emily recounted her experience seeking a donor online after facing a three-to-four-year NHS waiting period and unaffordable private clinic fees. She explained, “I did a lot of research, and I filtered a lot of people out… I was ready for the creepy people and the stupid questions, so I just deleted and blocked as soon as they came.” Emily ultimately found a successful donor, called Ryan, who has helped father four children via Facebook groups and remains involved in their lives while being open to supporting those who prefer no contact.
The HFEA has raised concerns regarding online sperm donations due to the lack of regulation, highlighting risks such as medical, legal, and emotional consequences for all parties involved. Clare Ettinghausen, the HFEA’s director of strategy and corporate affairs, points out worryingly prolific private donors fathering potentially hundreds of children, far exceeding the UK’s official limit of ten families per donor. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, acknowledges that while discussions about sperm donation are allowed on its platforms, buying or selling sperm violates its rules, and it commits to reviewing and removing content that breaches these policies
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