Page kept (live): /en-gb/donation/using-a-sperm-donor
Redirecting from: /en-gb/fertility-treatment/using-a-sperm-donor (redirect already live, confirm it is a permanent 301)
Stays separate: /en-gb/donation/sperm-donation (donor recruitment, not merged into this page)
Section status:
Same kept from the current page
New new to the page
Changed existing but modified
Donation Changed
Build your family using a sperm donor
Our comprehensive donation programme can help match you to your ideal donor.
hero image (existing)
HFEA rating 5/5
Eight clinics across the UK
Consultant-led care
HFEA licensed
Changed. The H1, intro and buttons stay exactly as they are. We have added a trust strip below the hero. Why: this is health (YMYL) content and the pages above TFP for these searches are HFEA and NHS, so regulator and clinical signals need to be visible immediately. Confirm the clinic count.
Thinking of donating your sperm instead?
Our sperm donation page explains who can donate, the process and compensation. Become a sperm donor ›
Sperm donation
New. A single line sending donors to the donation page, and nothing more about donating on this page. Why: this page is for people who want treatment with donor sperm. Keeping the two audiences apart, as the earlier recommendation set out, stops the two pages competing and keeps each one clear about who it is for.
Is donor conception right for me? Changed
Using a sperm donor means donated sperm is used in your fertility treatment, usually through IVF or IUI at a licensed clinic. You choose a donor, have counselling, and complete the legal consent steps. A donor from a UK licensed clinic has no legal rights or responsibilities to any child born.
For many people, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community, their journey to parenthood is not possible without the help of a sperm donor.
Using donated sperm in your fertility treatment is a significant decision. We're here to support you as you decide whether donor sperm conception is the right choice for you.
Our team of doctors and nurses will be able to advise on the best treatment pathway for you and your family. But we are likely to recommend donor conception if:
- You are pursuing solo parenthood
- You are a same-sex female couple
- Your own sperm is unlikely to result in a successful pregnancy
- You are at risk of passing on an inherited disease
Changed. One short opening paragraph added above TFP's existing copy, which is kept word for word. Why: the search "using a sperm donor" returns an AI Overview, and a self-contained opening answer is what gets pulled into it. It also answers the question before the reader has to scroll.
Your journey using sperm donation Same
Your fertility journey using donor sperm will depend on your personal circumstances and the type of treatment you've opted to have. However, the process for a typical sperm donor recipient will look a little like this:
1
Consultation and assessment
A fertility assessment and consultation with one of our specialists, so your plan is tailored to you.
2
Decide a treatment pathway
You may be able to choose between IVF and IUI. Your consultant will recommend what maximises your chances.
3
Counselling
Time with a specialist counsellor to talk through the implications of building your family with donor sperm.
4
Choose your sperm donor
Through a licensed clinic or donation bank, or a known donor. All our donors undergo in-depth testing.
5
Purchase your sperm
Consider whether you want more than one sample, and the shipping cost if the donor is from an external bank.
6
Using your donor sperm
Your chosen sperm is safely thawed and prepared by our clinical team when you are ready to start.
Kept. TFP's existing six steps, unchanged. Why: it is the clearest part of the current page and a numbered process is easy for both readers and AI answers to follow.
The right donor for you Same
Choosing your sperm donor is a deeply personal choice. We're here to offer guidance and support when you need it, but for many patients, it comes down to a feeling when you've found the right donor for you.
When purchasing sperm through a licensed fertility clinic or donation bank, you'll receive information on the donor's hair and eye colour, height and weight, ethnicity and other characteristics such as occupation and hobbies to help you make a decision.
Kept. Existing copy, unchanged.
How to find your donor Same
Choose from your clinic's donation bank
Some clinics have their own donation banks with catalogues of donors. Waiting lists can be lengthy, so check current wait times before committing.
Use a known donor
A friend or family member can donate, but they must undergo the same stringent testing as anonymous donors. Restrictions apply between close relatives.
Find donor sperm online
Sperm can be bought from accredited banks and shipped to your clinic. Check your source is credible and confirm purchase and shipping costs first.
Kept. The three routes, unchanged. Why: this already covers real demand. People search for known donors and for buying sperm online (for example "buy sperm online" and "order sperm online", around 150 searches a month each, tool estimates), and TFP answers both honestly.
Fertility treatment using donor sperm Changed
IVF with donor sperm
Your eggs are mixed with donor sperm in the lab and healthy embryos are transferred.
IVF treatment ›IUI with donor sperm
A less invasive option. Healthy sperm is placed directly into the womb around ovulation.
IUI treatment ›Surrogacy
You may need a combination of donor eggs and sperm, depending on your circumstances.
Surrogacy ›Frozen embryo transfer
For some patients a frozen embryo transfer is the right route, using our advanced freezing methods.
FET ›
Changed. Same four treatments and the same copy, with the two headings renamed to "IVF with donor sperm" and "IUI with donor sperm", and a link added on each card. Why: this is where the retired page's treatment angle now lives. "IVF using donor sperm" and its close variants draw around 370 searches a month between them (tool estimates), and the current headings do not say "donor sperm" at all.
What treatment with donor sperm costs New
Your total cost depends on the treatment you have, the donor sperm itself, and whether the sample comes from our bank or an external one. Here is what makes up the price.
IUI with donor sperm
[£ to confirm]
Per cycle
IVF with donor sperm
[£ to confirm]
Per cycle
Donor sperm sample
[£ to confirm]
Plus shipping if external
| What you pay for | Included in the treatment price? |
|---|
| Consultation and fertility assessment | [confirm] |
| Counselling (required for donor conception) | [confirm] |
| Donor sperm sample and thawing | [confirm] |
| Shipping from an external bank | [confirm] |
| Storage of additional samples for a sibling | [confirm] |
*Prices vary by clinic. Full pricing is on our treatment pricing pages.
All figures to come from the single pricing source, not typed in here. We will not invent prices.
New section. A cost breakdown that links to pricing rather than restating numbers. Why: "sperm donor cost" and "sperm donation cost" draw around 230 searches a month, and "IVF with sperm donor cost" around 160 (tool estimates), and this page currently says nothing about cost. This is also where the earlier recommendation to reconcile the sperm and IUI pricing into one source of truth lands: the IUI page carries figures, the main pricing page does not, so we link to one place and keep it right once.
Donor sperm on the NHS or privately New
On the NHS
NHS-funded treatment with donor sperm depends on your local integrated care board's criteria, and waiting times for donor sperm vary considerably by area.
Going private
Private treatment means shorter waits, a choice of donor from our own programme or an accredited bank, and counselling and consultant support throughout.
Wording to be checked by the clinical team before publishing
New section. An honest NHS versus private comparison. Why: "NHS sperm donor" and "NHS sperm bank" draw around 230 searches a month (tool estimates), and NHS trust pages currently take those positions. Answering the question straight, including where the NHS is the better route, builds more trust than avoiding it.
The law, consent and legal parenthood New
Who is the legal parent
A donor who donates through a UK licensed clinic has no legal rights or responsibilities to a child born from their donation.
Using a known donor
Outside a licensed clinic there is a real risk the donor is treated as a legal parent, with all that brings.
What the child can learn later
Donor-conceived people in the UK can apply for identifying information about their donor at 18.
Confirm against current HFEA guidance before publishing
New to this page, moved up from the FAQ. The parental rights and known donor answers are already on the page, but buried in the accordion. Why: this is the question people are most anxious about, and HFEA currently holds position 1 for the head term partly on the strength of it. It stays in the FAQ as well.
Where you can have treatment New
New section. The eight clinics, linked. Why: "sperm donor clinic" draws around 2,200 searches a month and "sperm donor clinics near me" around 190 (tool estimates). The clinic network is the thing the online sperm banks cannot match, and it is currently invisible on this page. Belfast matters here: "sperm donor NI" alone draws around 150 a month.
Medically reviewed by Changed
Dr Marco Gaudoin
[Credentials to add] · Medical Director, TFP GCRM Fertility
TFP GCRM Fertility is licensed by the HFEA. Licence number [to confirm].
Add credentials and the HFEA licence number
Changed. The reviewer block already exists with Dr Gaudoin and a July 2026 review date, so it stays. We are adding his credentials after his name and the HFEA licence reference, as the earlier recommendation set out for the donation pages. Why: named, credentialled review with a visible regulator reference is the strongest trust signal available on a page like this.
Donor conception FAQs Changed
Does the donor have any parental rights?
If you choose a donor through a licensed fertility clinic in the UK, they will have no legal rights or responsibilities to any children born as a result of their donation. They will not be required to financially support the child, will not be named on the birth certificate, and will not have the right to say how the child is raised. If you do not choose a donor from a licensed clinic, there is a risk they will be considered a parent in the eyes of the law.
What are the risks of using a donor?
When purchasing sperm through a licensed fertility clinic, there are few risks to worry about. All prospective donors are screened for serious illnesses, infections including STIs, and genetic diseases. We also ensure the correct processes and paperwork are in place to guarantee consent and legal parenthood.
What can I find out about a potential donor?
In the UK there is a limit to the information available before treatment. Your clinic can tell you the donor's age, a physical description (height, eye colour, hair colour and weight), ethnicity, and whether they already have children and how many. You will not be able to find out personal information that could reveal their identity.
How much does treatment with donor sperm cost?
[Answer to be written once pricing is confirmed from the single pricing source. It should cover the treatment cycle, the donor sample and shipping where the sample comes from an external bank.]
Is donor sperm treatment available on the NHS?
[Answer to be confirmed with the clinical team. NHS funding depends on local integrated care board criteria and waiting times for donor sperm vary by area.]
Can I use a known donor?
Some people are fortunate to have a friend or family member willing to be their donor. If you wish to use a known donor, they must undergo the same stringent testing as anonymous donors to ensure they are suitable to donate. There are also restrictions on mixing sperm and eggs between close relatives.
Can you pay a donor in the UK?
In the UK it is illegal to pay someone for their egg or sperm donation. Donors can be compensated for expenses such as travel, accommodation and loss of earnings. A sperm donor can receive up to £45 per clinic visit, while egg donors are entitled to up to £985 per donation cycle. [Confirm these are the current HFEA figures.]
How many families can one donor help to create?
In the UK there is a legal limit of 10 families created from the same donor, although each family can have multiple children from that donor. The limit reduces the risk of genetic relationships between the offspring of the same donor.
Can I purchase donor eggs or sperm elsewhere?
Yes. You are free to purchase donor eggs or sperm from other accredited sources if you cannot find the right match through the TFP Fertility donation bank. We will talk you through the options so the correct protocols are followed when your chosen sample is shipped to a TFP clinic.
How do you manage donations to your bank?
All our donors are subject to stringent medical testing and genetic screening. We may buy in samples from other licensed banks or clinics, but only where they meet the same legal and medical requirements. Samples donated to TFP are reserved for TFP patients and are not resold.
How many donated sperm will I receive?
[Existing answer, kept as it is on the page.]
Can I reserve sperm to have more children from the same donor?
[Existing answer, kept as it is on the page.]
Changed. All ten existing questions stay, with their current answers. We have reordered so legal parenthood comes first, and added two: cost and NHS availability. Why: the search results for this topic carry a People Also Ask box and an AI Overview, both of which draw on question and answer content. The two new questions are the gaps the page currently leaves open. The donor compensation figures need checking against current HFEA rates.
Donation
Start your donor conception journey Same
If you're considering building your family with the help of a donor, we're here to support you every step of the way.
Book your consultation
Kept. Existing call to action and copy, unchanged.
Our donor recipient stories Same
Kept. The three existing patient stories. Why: real patient experience is the part of this page no competitor can copy, and it is genuine first-hand evidence on a health page.
What's changed
Two pages were covering the same thing for the same audience. Here is what we found, what we recommend, and what still needs a decision from you.
The problem
Two pages covered treatment with donor sperm, both written for patients rather than donors:
- /en-gb/donation/using-a-sperm-donor "Build your family using a sperm donor"
- /en-gb/fertility-treatment/using-a-sperm-donor "IVF using donor sperm"
Google was ranking both around position 8 for near-identical searches ("IVF with sperm donor" and "sperm donor IVF"), which splits their strength instead of putting one page in a stronger position. A third page, /en-gb/donation/sperm-donation, is aimed at people who want to donate. That one is a different audience and stays exactly where it is.
The decision
We keep /en-gb/donation/using-a-sperm-donor as the single page for patients using donor sperm. When we checked the live site, a redirect from the fertility-treatment address to this one is already in place, so the direction is settled. Your developers should confirm it is a permanent (301) redirect rather than a temporary one, because only a permanent redirect passes the old page's ranking strength across.
Kept from the current page, unchanged
- The H1, the intro line and the hero buttons.
- "Is donor conception right for me", including the four circumstances.
- The six-step donor conception journey.
- "The right donor for you" and the three ways to find a donor.
- The four treatment options.
- "Start your donor conception journey" and the patient stories.
Existing sections we changed
- Hero: trust strip added below it (HFEA rating, clinics, consultant-led, HFEA licensed). Nothing else touched.
- Is donor conception right for me: one short opening paragraph added above the existing copy, written to be picked up by Google's AI Overview.
- Treatment options: two headings renamed to "IVF with donor sperm" and "IUI with donor sperm", and a link added on each card. This is where the retired page's treatment angle now lives.
- Medically reviewed by: Dr Gaudoin's block stays. We are adding his credentials after his name and the HFEA licence reference.
- FAQs: all ten existing questions kept, reordered so legal parenthood is first, plus two new ones on cost and NHS availability.
New sections added, and why
Turn on "Show SEO notes" in the Wireframe tab to see each one in place with its reasoning.
- Donor signpost. One line sending prospective donors to the sperm donation page, keeping the two audiences apart as recommended previously.
- What treatment with donor sperm costs. The page says nothing about cost today, and cost is one of the most searched aspects of this topic.
- NHS or private. A real question that NHS trust pages currently answer and TFP does not.
- The law, consent and legal parenthood. Pulled up from the FAQ, where it is currently buried. It is the question people worry about most.
- Where you can have treatment. The eight clinics, linked. The clinic network is the advantage over online sperm banks and it is invisible on this page today.
The redirect (for your developers)
The redirect exists. It needs checking, not building.
301 permanent redirect
from: /en-gb/fertility-treatment/using-a-sperm-donor
to: /en-gb/donation/using-a-sperm-donor
check: currently redirecting, confirm the status code is 301 and not 302
Still to do
- Pricing source of truth. The IUI treatment page carries prices, the main pricing page does not, and neither covers donor sperm. The cost section here should link to one source, not repeat figures. This needs settling before the section can be written.
- Internal links. Any links still pointing at the retired address should be repointed to the surviving page. We will list them once we have the site crawl. Links to the sperm donation page need strengthening separately.
- Donor page split. The sperm donation page stays donor-facing. The recommendation to move it to an H1 of "Sperm donation" with a "What is sperm donation?" section is a separate piece of work, not covered by this wireframe.
- Meta title. The surviving page's title is "Build your family using a sperm donor". The retired page held the treatment wording. Worth testing a title that carries both, for example "Using a sperm donor: IVF and IUI with donor sperm".
Flagged for you to confirm
- The number of clinics in the trust strip.
- All cost figures, from the single pricing source.
- The NHS wording, with your clinical team.
- The legal parenthood wording, against current HFEA guidance.
- Dr Gaudoin's credentials and the HFEA licence number.
- Whether the £45 and £985 donor compensation figures are still current.
What we are not promising
We are not claiming a position for any search term. What these changes do is put one page behind the search demand instead of two, protect everything the retired page was doing, and answer the questions people actually ask that this page currently leaves out. Search volumes quoted in the notes are tool estimates and approximate.
Schema to include
Please note: the code below is an example to show the structured data we recommend and the values still needed from you. It is not the final markup. Once the page has been amended and signed off, we will send the official, validated code ready to implement.
This page already carries a good structured data set: MedicalOrganization, MedicalWebPage, BreadcrumbList, Service, MedicalProcedure and FAQPage. So this is mostly a set of fixes and additions rather than a rebuild. Anything in square brackets must be supplied or confirmed, we have not invented values.
1. Fix: the reviewer is in a separate, disconnected block
The reviewer is currently declared in its own MedicalWebPage script with no URL, so it is not reliably tied to this page. It should be a property of the page's main MedicalWebPage node.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "MedicalWebPage",
"@id": "https://tfp-fertility.com/en-gb/donation/using-a-sperm-donor#webpage",
"url": "https://tfp-fertility.com/en-gb/donation/using-a-sperm-donor",
"name": "Build your family using a sperm donor",
"inLanguage": "en-GB",
"lastReviewed": "2026-07-26",
"reviewedBy": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Dr Marco Gaudoin",
"jobTitle": "Medical Director",
"honorificSuffix": "[credentials, confirm]",
"worksFor": { "@type": "MedicalClinic", "name": "TFP GCRM Fertility" },
"url": "https://tfp-fertility.com/en-gb/tfp-gcrm-fertility/our-clinic/team/marco-gaudoin"
}
}
</script>
Also fix the double slash in the reviewer URL. It currently reads tfp-fertility.com//en-gb/ in two places.
2. Keep: MedicalProcedure with the HFEA as recognising authority
This is already on the page and it is doing a useful job. It names the HFEA as the recognising authority, which is exactly the signal a regulated health page should carry. No change needed beyond adding the clinic's licence number on the page itself.
3. Update: FAQPage
The existing FAQ markup covers eight of the ten visible questions. Once the two new questions are live, the markup needs to match what is on the page, word for word.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"@id": "https://tfp-fertility.com/en-gb/donation/using-a-sperm-donor#faq",
"mainEntity": [
{ "@type": "Question", "name": "Does the donor have any parental rights?",
"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "[existing answer, unchanged]" } },
{ "@type": "Question", "name": "How much does treatment with donor sperm cost?",
"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "[to be written once pricing is confirmed]" } },
{ "@type": "Question", "name": "Is donor sperm treatment available on the NHS?",
"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "[to be confirmed with the clinical team]" } }
]
}
</script>
4. Breadcrumb
Already correct and pointing at the surviving page. No change.
What we are not adding, on purpose
- No star rating (AggregateRating) for the HFEA 5/5. That is a regulator rating, not customer reviews, so marking it up as a review score would misrepresent it.
- Price (Product / Offer) markup is optional. It can display prices in search but commits you to keeping them exactly in sync across every clinic. Hold until the pricing source of truth is settled.
Before publishing, validate every block in Google's Rich Results Test and the Schema.org validator, with the real values filled in.