With infertility increasing to larger numbers and becoming a growing problem, many women are turning to sperm banks in order to help them conceive. I have mixed feelings on the matter but with that set-aside, there seems to be a new market in the sperm donation world.

There is now a sperm bank that is centered on HIV-positive donations from its producers.

You read that correctly. This bank only wants donations from people who are HIV-positive. This sounds like an extremely bad idea and has the potential to spread the virus unknowingly.

According to DW.com,

“An HIV-positive sperm bank is perfectly safe,” infectious diseases physician and Auckland University professor Mark Thomas said in a statement supporting the launch of the sperm bank, which was named Sperm Positive.

“When a person is consistently taking effective treatment for their HIV infection, the amount of the HIV virus in their blood and sexual fluids is almost always reduced to an undetectable amount,” he added.

They say that the amount of the virus is “undetectable” therefore it doesn’t affect anything.

Having an “undetectable amount” means that a person with the virus cannot pass it on through unprotected sex or childbirth, according to Thomas.

Finding donors was an easy process but getting people to go public was less straightforward, as many people still do not want to talk about their status. (DW)

So far, the bank only has had 3 donors. One of them, Damien Rule-Neal, was diagnosed with HIV in 1999 but has been confirmed undetectable after he started treatment.

He said, “I have many friends who are also living with HIV who’ve gone on to have children. Being able to help others on their journey is so rewarding, but I also want to show the world that life doesn’t stop post-diagnosis and help to remove the stigma.”