Step-by-Step: How to Apply to Become a Semovo Donor

Becoming a sperm donor is one of the most meaningful ways to help people create the families they’ve dreamed of. At Semovo, the process is designed to be supportive, transparent, and straightforward from the very beginning.

If you’re considering becoming a donor, understanding what to expect can make the journey feel much more manageable. In this guide, we’ll walk you through each stage of the application and donation process, from your first online form to the moment your samples are released for use.

Who Can Apply to Become a Semovo Donor?

Before applying, it’s important to make sure you meet the eligibility criteria. According to Semovo’s donor requirements, donors must:

• Be between 18 and 45 years old
• Be willing to undergo medical screening
• Have no known serious hereditary conditions
• Be able to provide a detailed family medical history
• Agree to register with the HFEA as an identifiable donor
• Commit to donating regularly for several months
• Avoid high-risk behaviour relating to STIs

Semovo also asks donors to commit to donating exclusively through their clinics

Step 1: Complete the Online Application

Your journey starts with the online application form.

After reviewing the eligibility criteria, you’ll submit basic information, including your contact details, date of birth, and nearest clinic location. Shortly after applying, Semovo sends you a family medical history form to complete.

This stage is extremely important because the Semovo team carefully reviews your biological family medical history to help ensure there are no hereditary conditions that could affect future donor-conceived children.

What You’ll Need:

• Your personal details
• Information about the medical history of your children (if applicable), siblings, parents, grandparents, and extended family

Step 2: Phone Call and Sperm Assessment

If your application meets the initial criteria, Semovo will arrange an implications phone call.

During this conversation, a member of the team explains:

• What it means to become a sperm donor
• The legal and emotional implications of donation
• What the full process involves
• Your family and medical history in more detail

You’ll then be invited to attend your chosen Semovo clinic for a sperm assessment appointment.

At the clinic, you’ll provide your first semen sample so the laboratory team can assess:

• Sperm count
• Movement (motility)
• Shape (morphology)
• Ability to survive freezing and thawing

Because donor sperm must meet high standards for fertility treatment, only applicants with suitable sample quality move forward to the next stage.

Step 3: Counselling, Consultation, and Screening

Once your sperm assessment is successful, the next phase focuses on ensuring you’re fully informed and medically suitable to donate.

Counselling Session

You’ll have a video appointment with a specialist fertility counsellor. This allows you to discuss:

• The emotional implications of donation
• Future donor-conceived children
• Identity-release regulations in the UK
• Questions or concerns you may have

Semovo also encourages partners to attend these sessions where appropriate.

Medical Consultation

You’ll then speak with a Semovo doctor about:

• Your health
• Family medical history
• The responsibilities of being a donor
• Ongoing screening requirements

Full Screening Appointment

At this stage, Semovo carries out:

• Blood tests (STI and genetic screening)
• Urine tests
• General health checks
• A physical examination

You’ll also complete the consent forms required to make you an official donor with our regulator, the HFEA. The screening results usually take between two and four weeks. If everything is clear, you’ll officially progress to the donation phase.

Step 4: Begin Donating

Most donors attend around once per week for approximately six to twelve months. This allows Semovo to build enough samples for families who may choose your donor profile. Under UK regulations, one donor can help create a maximum of 10 UK families.

Donor samples are frozen and need to be quarantined for at least three months before they can be released for treatment use.

During this period, you’ll also create information for your donor profile and HFEA registration.

Step 5: Final Screening and Sample Release

After your first batch of samples has completed quarantine, you will have a repeat screening appointment.

If all results of these tests remain clear, your samples are officially released for use in treatment.

You’ll continue to be screened throughout your donation journey, including one final screening appointment three months after your last donation. This final stage ensures all remaining samples are safe for patients to use.

"The process was straightforward, with plenty of help and advice along the way from application to first donation.”  -  Ben’s Story

https://www.semovo.co.uk/about/donor-stories/bens-story/

Is Becoming a Donor Worth It?

Many donors describe the experience as incredibly rewarding. On the Semovo website, previous donors speak about the pride that comes from helping people who may otherwise never have the opportunity to start a family.

There is also growing awareness in UK fertility communities about the shortage of sperm donors, meaning donors can make a real difference for:

• Couples experiencing infertility
• Single parents
• Same-sex couples

Online discussions within fertility communities frequently highlight how valuable UK-based donors are for families searching for local, regulated donor programmes.

What Compensation Do Semovo Donors Receive?

Semovo reimburses donors up to £45 per clinic visit to cover expenses, in line with HFEA regulations. Semovo splits this compensation into:

• £35 per clinic visit provided during the process
• An additional £10 is accrued and then paid after the final screening, when the process is finished

Semovo emphasises that this is compensation rather than payment for the donation itself.

Ready to Apply?

If you’re ready to start your journey as a donor, you can begin by completing the online application form through Semovo’s How It Works page.

By becoming a donor, you could help give someone the chance to experience parenthood, an impact that can last for generations.