‘Sends shivers through me’: Aussie women are using Facebook to find sperm donors. ‘Predators’ are watching closely

Exclusive: A cursory glance at Facebook’s countless sperm donation groups exposes a dangerous fertility black market.

Scores of Australian women and same-sex couples are trawling social media in desperate hope of finding an altruistic stranger willing to help them have a baby.

This desperation has opened a gaping loophole for some disingenuous “donors”.

Australia’s sperm donation laws are complex and vary across the states and territories.

There is no national register keeping track of donors.

However, formal donors are required to register with the state or territory they are in, payment for donations and anonymity are banned, and there are family limits for a single donor to prevent excessive consanguinity.

Social media bypasses these strict regulations, leaving prospective mothers vulnerable.

Facebook is not the first place Deborah Poerio, 36, would have ordinarily looked to find a sperm donor.

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But Australia is facing a nationwide shortage of donor sperm – and the $2000 price tag for a vial of semen is prohibitive for many who have spent years trying and failing to fall pregnant.

“So many men basically only wanted to have sex, they didn’t want to do any screening or do an STI check,” Poerio told nine.com.au.

“There are predators up there in these groups.

“One asked me for money because I didn’t want to sleep with him.”

The Queensland woman found that many potential donors would pose as generous benefactors online, before claiming they only wanted to use natural insemination (NI).

Most women seeking donors prefer artificial insemination (AI) as a means of falling pregnant.

“I didn’t want to find myself in a violent or coercive situation,” Poerio said.

Poerio said most were not willing to undergo any kind of medical screening either.

After deciding the social media route wasn’t for her, she returned to an IVF clinic and eventually found a vetted donor.

It has come at a huge financial and emotional cost.

“For IVF only this year, I think it has already cost me $50,000,” Poerio said.

“But at least I know my donor has been tested, and I can make a more informed choice.”

There are other huge risks associated with using social media for unregistered, informal sperm donation.

Australian Solo Mothers By Choice and Assisted Reproductive Treatment Families Australia (ARTFam) founder Michelle Galea said predators are taking advantage of women who are running out of time.

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“It just sends shivers right through me, it’s a huge problem,” Galea said.

“I’ve had three women come to me [recently] telling me they’re now in the courts.

“These men are now taking them to court for child custody. They will go to these women for money.

“They will use it as coercive control.”

Galea often looks through donation groups to try and weed out these predators.

She comes across requests for natural insemination “every day”.

“It’s just blatant,” Galea added.

Galea said it is unlikely to stop until clinic supply increases.

“The clinics are running out. There’s a huge shortage at the moment. There’s long wait lists... and a lot of these donors wouldn’t pass the screening through a clinic,” Galea said.

“If your donor is ethical, he will go through that screening process.

“I would tell these women to ask them to go through the screening process at least, through an IVF clinic.”

IVF clinics warn against online donors

Australian IVF clinics have unilaterally warned prospective mothers against using social media to find an unregistered donor.

Clinics nationwide enforce medical and generic screening for all donors to protect the health of the recipient and their donor-conceived children.

Monash IVF chief medical officer Dr Fleur Cattrall said using informal channels can expose both women and their children to significant risks.

“The donor may not have undergone screening for infectious disease or genetic issues, potentially putting the recipient and child at risk,” Cattrall said.

“There is no monitoring of how often the donor’s sperm has been used, increasing the risk of large numbers of genetically related children being born within the same community.

“Informal arrangements lack clear consent, legal protections and accurate records.

“This can create uncertainty about parentage, and prevent donor-conceived people from accessing information about their genetic and medical history.”

Rainbow Fertility chief executive Adnan Catakovic said clinics ensure donors are adequately screened and that records are kept to ensure family caps are not exceeded.

“At Rainbow Fertility want people to know that there is safe, supported alternatives to sourcing an informal donor online,” he said.

“Informal donors put recipients at increased risk of unknown medical conditions and genetic disorders, while more formal avenues like ours ensure all donated sperm is vetted; a medical check undertaken and personal and family medical history documented; a semen analysis taken and bloods tested for infectious diseases or genetic conditions.

“This creates a much more transparent and considered pathway for everyone involved particularly donor-conceived children.”

A spokesperson for fertility giant Genea said the answer is increasing supply at the clinic level.

“Social media donor arrangements bypass clinical safeguards, leaving participants without medical screening or family limits while exposing women to serious safety risks,” the spokesperson said.

“Expanding regulated donor supply and establishing formal oversight are essential to curbing this unregulated market.”