Guide
Safety and law in private sperm donation
A clinic screens donors before accepting them. Privately, nobody screens for you – but you can apply the same standards. This page shows how.
Private sperm donation shifts responsibility: what is mandatory in a clinic is up to you privately. That is no reason not to take this route. It just means you handle a few things yourselves that a lab and a legal department would otherwise cover. The good news: there are few of them, and they are doable.
The health tests
A clinic runs these checks as standard before accepting a donor. Ask for the same privately – a serious donor won't mind.
HIV
The most important test. It should be current, as a rule of thumb no older than three months, and repeated before the donation if time has passed.
Hepatitis B and C
Both viruses spread through bodily fluids and stay symptom-free for a long time. A blood test settles it.
Syphilis
A standard blood test. The infection is very treatable, but dangerous for mother and child if left untreated.
Gonorrhoea and chlamydia
The most common bacterial infections, often without symptoms. Tested via urine sample or swab.
Semen analysis
Not an infection test, but the question of whether the donation has a real chance of success: sperm count, motility, and shape.
Genetic screening
Partly standard in clinics (karyogram). Privately sensible if hereditary conditions are known in the donor's family. Talk about it openly.
On our platform, donors can voluntarily verify STI tests, semen analysis, and blood group. That does not replace a current result before the donation – always ask for the date.
Meeting safely
Ideally, several weeks pass between first contact and donation. Take that time.
- 1
Write first, then meet
Keep early contact in the platform inbox. A video call before the first meeting shows you who you are dealing with.
- 2
First meeting in public
Café, not apartment. The first meeting is about getting to know each other and expectations, not about the donation.
- 3
Exchange test results
Before the donation, the donor shows current results, in the original or as a photo with a visible date. You can share yours too – trust is not a one-way street.
- 4
Put the agreement in writing
Before things get serious, write down what you have agreed. What belongs in it is listed below.
Warning signs
Break off contact and report the profile if someone …
- pushes for intercourse although you want the cup method.
- asks for money beyond documented expenses like travel or tests.
- refuses current tests, ID, or a video call.
- pressures you to do it quickly and without a written agreement.
- gives evasive answers about how often he has already donated.
Every profile has a report function. We look at every report.
The legal framework, in short
Private sperm donation is allowed in Austria. The Reproductive Medicine Act (FMedG) sets three clear limits:
No money
Semen must not be sold. Only reimbursement of documented expenses is allowed, such as tests or travel, against receipts (§16 FMedG).
No commercial brokering
Nobody may profit from matching donors. That is why this platform is non-profit and free.
Keep it limited
Clinics may use one donor for at most three families. Privately nobody counts for you – stick to it anyway, it protects the children from an unmanageable number of half-siblings.
The legal situation in detail: Is private sperm donation legal in Austria? →
The written agreement
It is not required privately, but it is the most important document you will have. It shows in black and white what everyone wanted from the start. It should cover:
- That the donation is voluntary and unpaid; only documented expenses are reimbursed.
- The method: cup method at home or treatment in a clinic.
- The donor's role: no contact, occasional contact, or an active role in the child's life.
- How you handle openness: may the child later learn who the donor is? (Our recommendation: yes.)
- That no maintenance or custody claims are intended.
- The status of health tests and how often the donor has already donated.
For ID-verified members we provide a template. Such an agreement does not replace a court, but it prevents misunderstandings – and shows what was agreed if there is ever a dispute.
This page is orientation, not legal or medical advice. For specific questions about maintenance, custody, or parentage, talk to a family-law attorney; for medical questions, to your doctor.
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