NW China: few sperm donations meet criteria

Xi'an (CNS) -- Northwest China's first sperm bank received more than 300 donations in less than one year, mostly from college students in science pograms, yet only about 30 percent of these donations are qualified for use, Director Zhang Zhou at the sperm bank told the CNS on Sunday.

All sperm samples must be tested under conditions of extreme cold, Zhang told the CNS during an onsite visit. She demonstrated the test procedures by taking out a sample tube from storage at -196 degrees Celsius, and observing it under a microscope for vitality and density figures.

A sperm donor must be a healthy graduate from a junior college or above, between 22 and 45 years of age and at least 165 cm tall, according to state regulations. All donors must also consent to making the donation.

The age floor has contributed to a situation where most of the over 300 donors are senior students and postgraduates, at a half and half rate, Zhang revealed.

The low rate of qualifying sperm samples, Zhang explained, is due to the national standard for sperm donations being higher than what natural pregnancy requires. Natural conception needs sperm that meet at least 60 criteria out of 100, but the sperm bank threshold exceeds 85.

About one-eighth of Chinese couples of childbearing age (more than 500 million) are troubled with acyesis, a condition brought on by high social pressure and serious environmental pollution, according to Wu Jingchun, executive member of the All-China Women's Federation and former official of the national family planning commission.

The sperm bank, founded on September 1, 2011, operates under the provincial maternal and child care service center of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.