Diverse Sperm Shortage Raises Concerns for Black Women, Leads Woman to Open First Black-owned Cryobank in the Country

Have a child that doesn’t reflect your race or don’t have a baby. These are the options for Black women these days.

Black women are facing difficulties finding sperm donors who share their backgrounds. After a limited choice in her own process of finding a sperm donor, Angela Stepancic is ready to open the first Black-owned cryobank in the country.

According to CBS News, after looking into the four major U.S. cryobanks, which include California Cryobank, Fairfax Cryobank, Seattle Sperm Bank, and Xytex, it was found that less than 4% of available sperm is from Black donors. Dr. Tia Jackson-Bey, a fertility doctor in New York City, confirmed the struggle through the experiences of her own patients of color. “Historically, donors have been recruited from places where maybe Black men are not present, you know, institutions of higher learning, certain areas, geographic areas in the country,” Jackson-Bey said.

Reportedly, most cryobanks require something not all Black Americans have access to, three generations of medical family history.

With the diversity shortage, Stepancic, who identifies as half-Black and half-Croatian, had to fall back on her non-negotiable to have a Black baby and chose to welcome a multiracial child with her wife. “It’s America, we’re supposed to have all the choices that we want, but we really don’t have any choices in this process, and this is the one process that really impacts our legacy the rest of our lives, you know, our future. As, as a family and as a people,” Stepancic said.

Her cryobank, Reproductive Village, will mark history when it opens in Washington, D.C. Its focus will surround recruiting Black donors and providing drop-off locations in cities such as Houston and Atlanta.

“I want to give them access to the same amount of options that every other couple has going through this process,” Stepancic said.

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The Seattle Sperm Bank and California Cryobank, two of the largest cryobanks, claim they are also committed to addressing the shortage through research and recruitment. The Seattle Sperm Bank said it would be working to actively recruit more men of color, spreading the word about the importance of sperm donation. The sperm bank hopes the conversations will break the “taboo surrounding this type of donation and get the word out about the increasing need for more donors.”