Inside the sperm economy, where demand is higher than ever
Social media, Tinder-like swiping and Uber-like simplicity have ushered in a reproductive revolution that bypasses sperm banks and IVF clinics.
Sperm banks and fertility clinics say the coronavirus pandemic is creating a sperm shortage, as men are not visiting to donate as often as they used to.
Alamy
Share
The sperm kings of America are exhausted. These men are flying all over the place. They are shipping their sperm with new vial systems and taking the latest DNA tests because that is what women want now. Sure, they can talk on the phone, but they say it has to be quick because they are driving to Dallas or Kansas City or Portland, Maine, in time for an ovulation window. They like to remind me they have day jobs.
If you are one of the roughly 141 million Americans whose body produces sperm, the substance likely seems abundant and cheap. For the rest of us, it is very much neither.
POLITICO
Sign up for POLITICO Playbook today.
Email
Sign Up
By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Presented by Facebook
The big question for the GOP going forward is how much power President Donald Trump will wield after he leaves office. | Joshua Roberts/Getty Images
DRIVING THE DAY
Good Sunday morning. I’m Eliana Johnson, your guest Playbook host and the editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon, where I spend a lot of my time with conservatives, Republicans and MAGA-heads.
The sperm kings of America are exhausted.
These men are flying all over the place. They are shipping their sperm with new vial systems and taking the latest DNA tests because that is what women want now. Sure, they can talk on the phone, but they say it has to be quick because they are driving to Dallas or Kansas City or Portland, Maine, in time for an ovulation window. They would like to remind me they have day jobs.
“People are fed up with sperm banks,” said Kyle Gordy, 29, who lives in Malibu, Calif. He invests in real estate but spends most of his time donating his sperm, free (except for the cost of travel), to women. He also runs a nearly 11,000-member private Facebook group, Sperm Donation USA, which helps women connect with a roster of hundreds of approved donors. His donor sperm has sired 35 children, with five more on the way, he said.