Estimates of donated sperm use in the United States: National Survey of Family Growth 1995-2017

OBJECTIVE: To provide national estimates of Donor Insemination (DI) use in the United States and a description of the population of users. DESIGN: Population estimates were generated from nationally-representative data through weighted proportions and count estimates. SETTING: Surveys were conducted on samples selected in 1995, 2002, and continuously in the years 2006–2010, 2011–2013, 2013–2015, and 2015–2017 in the United States. PATIENTS: Participants were U.S. women of childbearing age (15–44) sampled for interview in the National Survey of Family Growth. INTERVENTIONS: No interventions were conducted in this descriptive study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Respondents who reported having received artificial insemination were asked the origin of the sperm; responses could include husband/partner, donor only, or mixed donor and husband/partner. RESULTS: In 1995, an estimated 170,701 [95% CI: 106,577 – 234,825] women had undergone DI using donor or mixed sperm. In 2015–2017, 440,986 [95% CI: 108,458 – 773,513] were estimated to have used it. DI users were mostly White, urban, older, college-educated, and had high family incomes. CONCLUSIONS: DI use changed over time, from a drop between 1995 and 2013 to a precipitous growth in 2015–2017. In recent years, nearly half a million women may be dealing with personal, relationship, and familial issues born of DI use. The U.S. does not maintain records on the usage of donor sperm, but better tracking of the use and outcomes of treatment would provide better estimates of the size of the population affected.