First sperm bank in China's Xinjiang promises $725 for each donor

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As male infertility increasingly becomes a concern, China has stepped up the establishment of fertility institutions across the country.

The first sperm bank in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the 24th of its kind in China, is scheduled to start operations in May.

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The facility will be linked to 432 fertility clinics located in 30 provinces after that.‍

And donors could make some pocket money in the process: the sperm bank promises 5,000 yuan (725 US dollars) for each donor to compensate their commuting and meal expenses.

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The sperm storage room features seven liquid nitrogen tanks, with one capable of storing 20,000 sperm cells, while the other smaller ones can store 500-700 sperm cells.

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The qualified donor sperm will be stored in a so-called sperm "straw", which will be placed in a liquid nitrogen tank at -196°C.

Forty volunteers from diverse backgrounds have donated sperm to the bank since March 4, and 10 of them have met the criteria.

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According to Chinese law, the legal channel to collect donor sperm is through sperm banks. They do not touch base with recipients directly in a bid to maintain anonymity, and donor sperm has to be delivered to recipients through licensed fertility clinics, while sperm banks maintain identifying information of donors.

Sperm banks organize and screen sperm donors, preserve semen samples and provide these to qualified fertility clinics, they also store sperm to preserve male fertility for those who need it and perform scientific research on reproductive health.

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Donors have to come back for medical tests six months after the donation. Only when qualified, can their sperm be provided to fertility clinics.

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