Male Order

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Aleks Krotoski investigates sperm donors and the unofficial online fertility market.

Aleks Krotoski investigates sperm donors and why people put themselves and their future children at risk by going online to find them.

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Male Order: 3. Red Lines

3. Red Lines

BBC Radio 4 - Male Order, 3. Red Lines

What red lines would you cross to have a child with your perfect donor?

After many months of unsuccessfully trying for a child, some women feel they may need to compromise on what they need to do to keep a perfect donor.

Kim and Aaron have chosen James to be their donor. He’s exactly what they’re looking for - the physical features, the profession, and dozens of photographs of donor-conceived children on his Facebook profile page that prove he can get women pregnant. 

Even better, the couple don’t even have to meet him in person to conceive - he will ship his sperm to them via the post, and they can inseminate in the comfort of their home.

But as the months pass without success, despite repeated attempts, they are becoming disheartened. They come to meet him for an in-person donation, which raises the possibility that Kim could receive his sperm through “natural” insemination, or sex - a red line for Aaron, but not for her.

Dr Keenan Omurtag, a fertility specialist, guides us through what we know - and importantly, what we don’t know - about conception.

Presenter: Aleks Krotoski

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