Sperm donation - have you got the balls?

As I was flicking through the internet this morning, or browsing the web I came across (excuse the pun) this gem of a story.

The latest advertising slogan being used in the Greater Manchester area is "Sperm donation - Have you got the balls? Strong swimmers required". Leaflets and posters are being sent to 30 sports clubs and venues in Greater Manchester.

I wonder if Wayne Rooney has got one of the fliers?  I will resist as a Chelsea fan making any jokes.

I can picture the men of Greater Manchester puffing their chest out out, "of course we ave mate" but perhaps a few feeling just a little deflated when they realise what it involves.

Yes, it really is an advert for sperm donation.  Men of Manchester your sperm is needed.

In the UK there are hundreds of couples who need a sperm donor to help them conceive the child they long for so much, either because of infertility or genetic disease.
Laura Witjens, from the National Gamete Donation Trust

I was fascinated to read about this and must confess it was something I seriously considered years ago when I thought my strong swimmers could make a difference to a family somehwere in the world.
 
Like many people there was always in the back of my mind that nagging thought, but what if the child wants to know who you really were if they lived with a family who would be honest with them, certainly then when the law changed in 2005 and anonymity was no longer there.

From the BBC:

The number of new sperm donors dipped in the UK in 2004 to 224. The law changed in 2005, meaning egg and sperm donors did not have the right to anonymity.

But since then the number of new donors has increased with 384 registering in 2008.

The children of donors can trace their biological parents when they reach 18.

Although, what do you have to hide, it's not that you got paid for your sperm?
 
Anyway, the National Gamete Donation Trust is now seeking new sperm donors in the Greater Manchester area where 1 in 6 couples need your help and they are currently seeking 500 donors.  There are more details on their website, including a confidential helpline.

There is also advice on this issue over at the British Fertility Society and the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority for anyone either seeking to donate sperm or those wanting to start a family.