When we heard that there was a tool that could help you find a sperm donor who could have the same features as George Clooney we were intrigued! (Sorry, that sounds very shallow!)
That tool, is the Fairfax FaceMatch is a fantastic free online service that helps clients find their ideal sperm donor lookalike that looks just like their partner, family member, friend, or celebrity. We wanted to find out more so we turned to the team at Fairfax Cryobank to learn more.
IVFB: Team Cryobank hello! Can you tell us where in the world you are and what you do?
Fairfax: Hello! yes, we, Fairfax Cryobank is a reputable international donor sperm bank based in the United States. We recruit sperm donors across the US with a large selection of highly screened donors to choose from. We have more than 35 years of experience helping individuals and couples worldwide achieve their dreams of having children.
IVFB: You make the donor selection very simple to do. By just ticking a few boxes, we were immediately presented with a list of matches. Is it really that simple or are there more detailed layers after this initial box ticking. Can you talk us through the process?
Fairfax: The process can be very simple or complex, depending on the criteria. We provide a lot of information about our donors and the entire process on our website, which is very user-friendly. Donors can be filtered by ancestry, hair colour, eye colour, height, education, and even by astrological sign, favourite subject, talents, and hobbies. We give clients as much information as possible so that they can make an informed decision when selecting a sperm donor. It may be their most important decision.
IVFB: Do we get to see photos of the donors?
Fairfax: Yes, all UK-compliant donors have childhood photos, and most have adult photos available. Photos can be easily viewed online.
IVFB: Are the donors anonymous?
Fairfax: In accordance with UK regulations, all UK-compliant donors are ID donors, which means that any future child may contact us at the age of 18 to obtain the donor’s identity and contact information. We have both anonymous and ID donors but have recruited only ID donors as of 2018. The donor is completely anonymous to the recipient.
IVFB: How do you choose your donors?
Fairfax: We have a very rigorous screening process – which includes a health questionnaire, physical exam, medical, genetic, and infectious disease testing, sperm quality evaluation, staff in-person interviews, criminal background check, psychological evaluations – and ongoing physical and infectious disease testing while donors are active in the program. The screening process is intentionally designed to be extensive and excludes any applicant that does not meet our industry-leading standards. Less than 1% of applicants are accepted into our program.
IVFB: We were particularly intrigued by the Fairfax face match. Can you talk us through this process?
Fairfax: Fairfax FaceMatch is a fantastic free online tool that helps clients find their ideal sperm donor lookalike that looks just like their partner, family member, friend, or celebrity. You can upload a photo of any gender to the FaceMatch tool, and the algorithm will recommend donors that have similar facial structures and appearance. It’s great because we compare to the adult photographs of every donor, even if the photo is not publicly available.
IVFB: Does this mean that if I want my child to have the strong looks of George Clooney then you would help me find someone who looks like him?
Fairfax: Absolutely – we will do our best with FaceMatch!
IVFB: When a man makes a donation with you, how many families does his donation help to create?
Fairfax: We limit the number of families to 25 in the US and 15 internationally. This is our company policy, and we follow all regulatory requirements, for example, no more than 10 families can be created from a single donor in the UK.
IVFB: Do you get people in the UK wanting donors from the states? Is this an option?
Fairfax: Yes, we work with most fertility clinics in the UK and have a dedicated UK client services team and UK website. All the donors listed on our UK site are compliant and have family slots available in the UK – which at Fairfax Cryobank are free. The benefits of choosing a US sperm bank like Fairfax is we recruit donors from a very large population; therefore, we have a diverse selection of donors to choose from.
IVFB: What words of advice would you have for a man or woman who is considering using a sperm donor agency?
Fairfax: Finding the perfect sperm bank for you and your family is critical. It can be an overwhelming process, to find the best fit for you. Fairfax Cryobank prides itself on giving our clients the best quality sperm and donor quality of any other cryobank.
From instant online access to a donor’s medical status, to our vial buy-back program. Fairfax Cryobank wants our clients to have a peace of mind when purchasing sperm from us.
Less than 1% of donor applicants are accepted by Fairfax Cryobank. The screening process at Fairfax is intentionally designed to be extensive and excludes any applicant that does not meet our industry-leading standards. Fairfax Cryobank strives to provide the best quality donors for our clients because together we make a family.
 If you have any questions for the team at Fairfax Cryobank, drop them a line by clicking here.
