Can sell sperm on Facebook for US$500

[firehyrant]

Revealed: The Facebook groups used by men to father HUNDREDS of children by selling tubs of sperm 'illegally' for women to impregnate themselves using 'Calpol syringes'​

13:51 GMT 01 Mar 2025, updated 16:45 GMT 01 Mar 2025

By ELIZABETH HAIGH


Men are using social media to become sperm donors to hundreds of children and are charging up to £400 per donation, despite the sale of sperm being illegal, a MailOnline investigation can reveal.

Among the most prolific donors active in online Facebook groups were men who claim to have fathered more than 180, 100 and even 800 children.

Any clinic in the UK is strictly limited to allowing a single male donor to only provide sperm to a maximum of ten families - but as the private market is unregulated, many men have far more offspring.

But the sometimes significant costs of IVF mean increasing numbers of women are turning to this market amidst the cost of living crisis.

The donors are offering their sperm either via natural means or artificial - and offer their services at their recipients homes, in hotels or even in public toilets.

Women electing for artificial means, also known as AI, are resorting to desperate measures to try and get pregnant, with several reporting using 'Calpol syringes' and even turkey basters to transfer the sperm into their bodies. For many women, it is impossible to verify any of the information these donors. And while donating sperm privately is legal, MailOnline has found some donors demand money in exchange - a practice which would be illegal.

MailOnline spoke to industry experts who described our findings as 'sad and shocking'.

Selling sperm​

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Russian-born model Kirill Matyavin demanded $500, around £400, for artificial insemination

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Allesandro Henri, who has previously fathered twins via private donation, told our reporter his sperm would cost £400

In the UK it is illegal to sell sperm - although paying a donor for 'reasonable expenses', such as travel costs, is permitted.

Those donating through a registered sperm bank or fertility clinic can claim up to £45 in expenses per trip, but charging for sperm is against the law.

Yet MailOnline found some private donors charged hundreds of pounds and did not back down once challenged over the legality of their demands.

Allesandro Henri, who has previously fathered twins via private donation, told our reporter his sperm would cost £400.

'Most people are looking for free donations which is absurd,' he said.

When the reporter questioned whether this was legal, Mr Henri said: 'It's not that I'm selling. I'm donating for a fee.'

He later added the money was to cover the cost of freezing his sperm for delivery for artificial insemination.

Other donors also openly charge for their sperm, with Russian-born model Kirill Matyavin demanding $500, around £400.

Posting in one of the many online Facebook groups used by donors, he wrote: 'I ask for a minimum of $500, if someone can give more, fine.'

He added he refused to travel and any recipient must travel to him, and said he would offer natural insemination - where the donor and recipient conceive in the traditional way - for free.

When questioned on the reasons for this, Mr Matyavin said he charged for artificial donation because 'AI is what the recipient needs, not me.'

Meanwhile the BBC reported in 2016 that group admin and father-of-800 Watson charges £50 per donation.

Another donor, Josh Mike, posted in one group and told a would-be mother he would take 'what you're willing to offer', before adding that he charges £100. Later on in the exchange he claimed he had no fixed charge.

Prolific donors fathering 'hundreds' of children​

One Facebook group found by MailOnline was founded by Joe Donor, also known as Robert Charles Albon, who was last month the subject of a public warning from a judge after attempting to sue for custody of a child he donated sperm for.

The American-born donor has fathered more than 180 children but sued a lesbian couple in the UK in what the judge said was an attempt to sure up his immigration status.

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Among the most prolific donors active in online Facebook groups were men who had fathered more than 180 children and Simon Watson (pictured) has even fathered 800 children

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Charles Jardon told MailOnline he has fathered 54 children by donating his sperm so far
He is an admin of a group with 15,000 members alongside fellow donor Simon Watson, who had fathered more than 800 children by 2016, he told a BBC documentary.

Watson has been donating sperm since 1999 and, if his donation rate remained steady, would now be approaching 1,000 children.

Also an admin is Kyle Gordy, who contacted our reporter offering to donate. He gave an interview last month in which he revealed he has 101 children.

Another donor, Charles Jardon, told MailOnline he has so far fathered 54 children.

'Some people find my number reassuring and some scary!' he said.

'Lying' donors​

Posing as a woman in need of a sperm donor, our reporter received messages from dozens of men wishing to donate - but some shared information which was later proven to be false.

Kyle Gordy, 32, told MailOnline he has 'more than 30' children. He failed to mention that according to an interview he gave last month, his real total is over 100 and he is 'only just getting started'.

Gordy told how he has 87 living children, with 14 more on the way, and hinted he wanted to have a 'significant impact' on global population.

'I'm a long way off making a significant impact on the world's overall population. And so, for that, I'm only just getting started,' he said.

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Kyle Gordy, 32, told MailOnline he has 'more than 30' children but according to an interview he gave last month, his real total is over 100

MailOnline also identified multiple Facebook profiles who claimed wildly different numbers across multiple groups.

One man, who went by Brad Hughes or Brad Mills but whose real name is Adam Jennings, posted on one group stating he had had 'five successes' and claimed he would stop donating when he reached ten.

At the time, he had already helped at least ten women get pregnant, according to pregnancy tests he posted online.

Many of the donors appear to be using fake names in their profiles, or anonymous pseudonyms such as 'Scotland sperm donor'. This means there is no way for recipients to verify a donor's identity.

No sanitary equipment​

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Receiving sperm privately means many women or couples do not have appropriate equipment to use it safely. In clinics, all equipment is sterilized and only ever used for insemination.

But after receiving their donor sperm in a container, which itself may not be sanitary, recipients are resorting to desperate measures in a bid to become pregnant.

Multiple groups contained discussion of how best to transfer the sperm, with syringes being a popular choice.

But many women referred to using 'Calpol syringes' - provided in some bottles of the medication - as a substitute.

Several even said they had used turkey basters in a bid to become pregnant.

Meanwhile women reported using home tupperware as a makeshift specimen pot, or even Gu dessert containers.

Serious health risks​

Private donation takes place without the rigorous screening required by professional fertility clinics, placing recipients and children at risk, experts say.

One recipient posted in a group claiming she was given an STI, before the accused man's wife also posted accusing him of 'destroying' their marriage.

'He has been lying to me for years about this,' his wife wrote. 'He has a sex obsession and doesn't want to help anybody but himself'.

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Biologist Debra Bloor, Director of Governance at Care Fertility, told MailOnline donating through a private clinic offers a level of protection that is 'impossible' to achieve through private donation
Donor Jardon also revealed that after sending proof of a clean STI check and other medical documents to possible recipients, he discovered other donors were using them and passing them off as their own.

This allowed them to skip health checks which would inform recipients if their donor put their child, or themselves, at risk of infectious diseases such as HIV or hepatitis.

Experts have warned such a practice is highly dangerous for recipients, who have no idea whether their donors really have a clean bill of health, and no way to check independently.

Biologist Debra Bloor, Director of Governance at Care Fertility, told MailOnline donating through a private clinic offers a level of protection that is 'impossible' to achieve through private donation.

'In a licensed setting when a person comes in to produce their sample we have mechs for checking their identity,' she said. 'We screen them health-wise and then screen them again three months later.

'In law if a donor was to not tell us about an illness that’s in their family, there is a special clause that if it comes to light that a donor has withheld information, then there is a mechanism for legal action being taken.

'We’re not just protecting a woman from the risks of insemination, we are actually giving her some possibility of ongoing protection for any children.'

A spokesperson for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said it is 'always safer' to have a baby via a registered clinic, as sperm undergoes extensive screening to check for any health issues.

Rushed donations​

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While donating sperm to private clinics is a months-long process, with follow up blood tests three or even six months later to check for infectious diseases, some recipients get in touch with a donor just hours before accepting their sperm.

MailOnline found evidence of recipients requesting immediate donation, especially if their planned donor had dropped out.

In these cases, the donor would give their sperm within hours of the request being made, making it highly unlikely any identity or health checks had taken place.

Why do so many turn to private donation?​

Facebook acts as a breeding ground for these types of groups as women who cannot afford expensive fertility treatments take to desperate measures to try and have children.

Mostly used by lesbian couples or single women - although also used by straight couples - the groups offer women the chance to have children without bureaucratic red tape or heavy fees.

If successful, it can also be done far more quickly, with current waiting times for IVF on the NHS ranging from months to years.

The process can also cost thousands of pounds if done privately, which many women cannot afford to do.

But there are other fertility treatments available that do not cost anywhere near as much, including IUI - sperm donation.

Ms Boor said of the cost of treatment: 'It's really hard. But you have to ask yourself - what am I giving up in order to save that money?

'Genetic testing is expensive - the cost of screening and repeat screening and screening at a very high level is significant.

'The reason for that cost is to protect the recipients. There is nothing in law to protect that birth parent of a donor-conceived child - the law only protects you from that if you have treatment in a licensed clinic.'

She went on: 'IVF is probably most high tech and most expensive treatment. There are so many other cost effective treatments like IUI.

'Everyone should at least have the confidence to at least talk to a licensed clinic.'

A HFEA spokesperson said: 'It's always safer to have treatment with donor sperm at a HFEA licenced clinic, where there are laws and guidance to protect and support patients, donors, and any children born from donation.

'Clinics are required by law to ensure that donors, patients, and any future children are protected by carrying out rigorous health tests, ensuring legal parenthood consents are in place, and offering everyone involved counselling to ensure they are completely informed and comfortable with their decision.

'Clinics and sperm banks are required to carefully consider the welfare of the child, to prevent them from developing any serious medical conditions.

'This means that, by law, they must ensure that potential donors undergo rigorous health tests and screenings for certain diseases, including any serious genetic diseases, before they are allowed to donate.

'If a donor, or one of their family members, has a serious physical or mental condition that they don't declare, they could face legal action if a child born from their donation inherits it.

'In the UK, sperm donors who donate through a licensed clinic or sperm bank can only be paid a small amount and their reasonable expenses and research shows that UK donors do so for altruistic reasons rather than financial gain.

'Licensed clinics are also expected to adhere to the '10-family limit', which restricts the number of families that can be created with a single donor through fertility treatment in the UK.

'The reason we set limits on the number of families a donor can help create is that we know through consultation this is the level that donors and donor-conceived people feel comfortable with in terms of the numbers of potential donor-conceived children, half-siblings and families that might be created.'


'The HFEA has no powers to regulate donation that takes place outside of HFEA licensed clinics.

'For more information about sperm donation, visit the HFEA website.'

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Hahahhaha...millions of children will be going after them for parental support...dumbness..

Gay sperm donor told to pay child maintenance for 'his' two children
Child Support Agency is making sperm donor Mark Langridge pay
Mark Langridge is being chased by the CSA after donating his sperm. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian
This article is more than 12 years old
13 years ago Mark Langridge helped a lesbian couple have a family. Now it's costing him £26 a week
Miles Brignall
A gay man from Essex who donated his sperm to enable a lesbian couple to have two children, but who was never named on their birth certificate and had no role in their upbringing, is being forced by the Child Support Agency to pay for their support – 13 years after the first child was born.

Mark Langridge, who has been with his partner for 16 years (and in a civil partnership for the last five), has called on the government to review the law after the CSA suddenly demanded that he start paying £26 a week for two children he technically fathered over a decade ago.

He has had no contact with the family since 2004, but the CSA said that he has to either pay up, or take a DNA test to show that he is not their natural father.

His story will send shivers down the spine of any man who was asked to donate their sperm by a childless woman in the 90s.

Back then it was impossible for women to use official sperm banks unless they had a male partner – something that is no longer the case.

Changes to the law mean that if Langridge made the donation today in similar circumstances he wouldn't be financially liable for the children, and he has called for the law governing this area to be applied retrospectively. It is thought that there are several other men caught up in the same position.

His story starts in 1997 when he and his partner Shaun met a lesbian couple in Bliss nightclub in Southend. They became good friends and it soon became clear that one of the women was keen to have children.

As a result, in 1998, Langridge visited the Essex home of the mum-to-be, glass container in hand, and in a separate room the woman inseminated herself.

He says he only agreed to it after being given repeated assurances that the couple were financially secure and would need no financial input from him at any stage. He was told by the mother that he was not named on the child's birth certificate, and that the mother's story would be that she'd had a fling and that the father had gone back to the US.

A year later she asked him again to donate, as she wanted a sibling for her child and thought it would be nicer to have the same father. He agreed and another girl was born in the spring of 2000. Again, he was told he was not named on the birth certificate.

A few years later his relationship with the mother and her female partner started to deteriorate, to the point where he no longer saw them or their daughters. He received the occasional letter from the girls, to which he replied.

What he did not know was that the lesbian couple split up, leaving one of the mothers with both children, who later sought support from the state.

One reason he felt willing to donate his sperm was that the couple had been promised a large sum of money which would give them a level of financial security. However, when that money came through they had separated.

He understands that the non-biological mother in the pair continues to live near the former family home, and to see the girls at weekends, in the same way, he says, any other divorced or separated parent would – even though they were never civil partners. Yet the CSA is not chasing the other mother for support payments.

He says that over the years the mother threatened she would tell the CSA that he was the father, and in June this year he received a letter demanding he contribute to the children's maintenance.

Because he is self-employed and lives on a low income as a part-time book-keeper and gardener, the £26 a week that has been calculated by the CSA is money, he says, he doesn't have. "Of course, if I'd foreseen this all those years ago I would not have agreed to it. I just wanted to help a woman in need, and thought what harm could it do?" he adds. "I have told the CSA what happened but it has fallen on deaf ears. As far it is concerned, if I'm the biological father I have to pay – irrespective of the circumstances."

Guardian Money made attempts to track down the women but we were unsuccessful and, as a result, have taken the decision not to name or identify them.

A spokesman for the CSA confirmed the situation. "The law covering unlicensed sperm donation has always been very clear. Only anonymous sperm donors, at licensed centres, are exempt from being treated as the legal father of a child born as a result of their donation.

"This has never applied to men who donate sperm as part of a personal arrangement. Unless the child is legally adopted, both biological parents are financially responsible for their child by law, regardless of whether both their names are entered on to the birth certificate."

Natalie Gamble, founder of Natalie Gamble Associates, the UK's foremost experts on fertility law, says the law in this area changed a few years ago.

"Had the donation taken place after April 2009, or through a clinic, the law would have viewed his responsibility very differently. In that case he would not be deemed the father, provided the consenting couple to which he was making the donation were in a civil partnership, or his donation to the couple was through a licensed clinic. The fact that it was made on a private basis before that date means the law is very clear. He is considered the father."

Her company represented the last high-profile case in this area – fireman Andy Bathie. His case, which came to light in 2007, was almost identical to Langridge's. His donation had enabled another lesbian couple to have children.

When they split and the mother claimed benefits, he was chased by the CSA for thousands of pounds. He was forced to take a DNA test which confirmed he was the father.

Unable to afford children of his own with his wife because of the payments, he called on the law to be applied retrospectively – a call echoed this week by Langridge, who says he simply can't afford the tens of thousands of pounds it would cost to mount a legal challenge through the courts.

"The law was changed because it was unfair, but it is still considered OK for men caught in my position to be penalised," he says.

"Our only crime was agreeing to do someone a good turn. It is absurd that I'm being chased for the money while the children's other mother makes no contribution to their upkeep.

"How can that be right in modern Britain in which we supposedly have equality?" he asks.

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