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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want my partner to be an anonymous sperm donor?

294 replies

BamBamPadam · 30/03/2026 19:53

We’ve been together a few years, own a home together and I’m in my 2nd trimester of pregnancy.

Early in our relationship my partner told me he was considering doing sperm donation for a bit of pocket money/fun money. He had a holiday coming up at the time and wanted some spends. He had decided to ask my opinion before going ahead with it which I really appreciated as we were aiming for a long-term relationship at the time. I said I wasn’t personally comfortable with it as it felt like a huge thing to be doing just for some pocket money. I also was quite honest and open by the fact that the thought of a load of other women being pregnant with his offspring was weird to me and would put a dampener on the relationship. He understood and binned off the idea.

His best friend who is a single man and doesn’t plan on having his own kids (he spends half the year in Thailand and loves the bachelor life) has recently donated sperm and has been encouraging my partner to do it. Both on the basis of a bit of extra money and to “help people”. My partner has slowly been coming around to the idea and has mentioned to me he’d like to look into an anonymous donation again.

I told him I wasn’t comfortable with it. I don’t want to worry about my child having random siblings everywhere. I don’t want any random strangers who resemble my partner joining us for Sunday dinner in 18 years expecting him to step up and be their dad. And then on a slightly more unreasonable note - I don’t like the idea of other women being pregnant with his baby! I’m not usually a possessively jealous type and I know it’s very common to have children with more than one person and that’s normal nowadays. But I am otherwise in a really happy relationship with him and I feel like having children by him should be something that only I get the “privilege” of whilst we’re in a relationship? I don’t know if that makes sense. I think that’s a relatively normal thing to feel whilst pregnant isn’t it? If he had an older child with an ex partner it’d be different of course but the thought of other women being pregnant by him whilst I’m raising his newborn…it just freaks me out even though no cheating would’ve occurred. It just feels so wrong on a primal level. Maybe I’m just hormonal, I don’t know. I can understand people like his mate being donors but I don’t get why you’d do it if you have your own famil.

He hasn’t been nasty about my feelings but says I’m being overly sensitive about the emotional aspect of it and he doesn’t see why I’d feel jealousy towards any women that end up the recipient of his sperm. He also says the extra money will be useful for stuff for our baby. He says he’ll consider my feelings but that he will still go ahead with it if he wants too whether I like it or not.

I just hate hate hate the whole idea of it and I am so angry that he wants to risk upsetting me and bringing a load of resentment into our relationship for the sake of a few hundred quid (maximum).

OP posts:
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TeenToTwenties · 30/03/2026 19:56

Are you UK?
I thought that now all donor conceived children would get access to donor info at 18?

Cupofteandtoast · 30/03/2026 19:56

No advice but I would hate that too ! Surely he’s not that hard up for cash?!

Mcdhotchoc · 30/03/2026 19:56

There is no such thing as anonymous donation. Any offspring can do a dna test and find him.
I'd be really unhappy if my partner went ahead against my wishes

Mcdhotchoc · 30/03/2026 19:57

There is no such thing as anonymous donation. Any offspring can do a dna test and find him.
I'd be really unhappy if my partner went ahead against my wishes

BamBamPadam · 30/03/2026 19:57

TeenToTwenties · 30/03/2026 19:56

Are you UK?
I thought that now all donor conceived children would get access to donor info at 18?

Yes we are and I have mentioned this to him and he says he wouldn’t mind a superficial relationship with the offspring but he wouldn’t let them inherit anything or impose on our family life. He’d maybe just see them on his own occasionally if any of them ever got in touch

OP posts:
PurpleNightingale · 30/03/2026 19:57

The fact he would go along with it with or without your support is alarming. I would be unhappy about this too. This is not like giving blood, this is creating other human beings related to your own together. It is a big deal.

NinaGeiger · 30/03/2026 19:58

I think he's being unreasonable to bring it up again when you made your feelings plain previously.
Surely it's not even that much money that it's creating stress for his pregnant partner?

BamBamPadam · 30/03/2026 19:59

I actually think it would be a dealbreaker for me, the thought of it makes me feel ill

OP posts:
TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 30/03/2026 19:59

He might feel differently when his child is born and he feels the emotional bond.
Ask him to at least wait. If he won't, he's not very respectful of you, is he?

Surroundedbyfools · 30/03/2026 20:00

surely there’s plenty other ways he can make extra cash if he needs it than this ? I totally agree with you. The thought of my husband donating sperm and another woman having his baby making me feel sick !

thinkfast · 30/03/2026 20:00

I don’t think sperm banks are allowed to pay donors in the UK OP, just allowed to reimburse expenses. Plus most men won’t qualify to donate sperm, which might give both of you some anxiety about possible future children between the 2 of you. I’d rather live in ignorance, than be rejected

Smoosha · 30/03/2026 20:02

As others have said there’s no such thing as anonymous sperm donation in the UK anymore. He would also have to have compulsory counselling before donating. And I believe he needs to commit to regular donations for a set amount of time before they take him on. It isn’t a quick session and done type thing. I believe in the UK they are allowed to make up to 10 families with one donor. (Could be more than 10 children depending on siblings etc). Obviously though i believe he can remove his consent for the sperm to be used later down the line. But it really isn’t the easy cash option like it used to be decades ago.

jdb9803 · 30/03/2026 20:02

I'd be worried my own child could end up in a relationship with a half sibling without knowing

Sesame2011 · 30/03/2026 20:03

If he ks donating in the UK legally he will not be paid for it. If he's getting paid he's either doing it abroad or via Facebook etc.

EmeraldShamrock000 · 30/03/2026 20:03

Can he deliver fast food if he needs extra pocket money. He’s such a weirdo. There is 1000’s of other ways to make money.

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 30/03/2026 20:04

He'd be better off doing literally anything else if he wants to earn some extra money - it's only a nominal amount for expenses paid, anything else is illegal

So far he wants to do an anonymous donation that's not anonymous, to earn money he won't be paid.

Is his friend talking bollocks or a just bit thick? For someone supposedly doing it he doesn't seem to know much about it if he is where your DP is getting his info from?!

DudududuMV · 30/03/2026 20:05

Hmm. I don’t disagree but I’ve just been thinking about the flip side.

if I wanted to donate my eggs to help other women, I’m not sure if I’d be keen on my husband telling me I couldn’t.

Didimum · 30/03/2026 20:05

Are you in the UK? This isn’t a thing.

AutumnFroglets · 30/03/2026 20:06

Funny how he waits until you are effectively trapped in pregnancy isn't it. Couldn't have brought it up while you were TTC and you could walk away from him easily.

Maybe it's that part that is not sitting right with you as well.

Rainbowdottie · 30/03/2026 20:07

I don’t know enough about it in terms of , is it really anonymous, can any kids have access to him later in life etc but honestly no, I wouldn’t like it. My cousin had a baby through sperm donation. It’s given her something she thought she’d never have and that is absolutely absolutely amazing for her….but I wouldn’t want my husband to be fathering loads of kids. I wouldn’t choose to be with a man who has X amount of kids so I wouldn’t be with someone who is considering sperm donation as in my mind, it’s the same thing.
surely there’s other ways to make money

CinnamonBuns67 · 30/03/2026 20:07

Yanbu as I'd not like it either and it'd be a deal breaker for me. Obviously he can do what he likes with his body and you can't stop him but that doesn't mean you have to stay with him or support him through it.

BamBamPadam · 30/03/2026 20:07

Didimum · 30/03/2026 20:05

Are you in the UK? This isn’t a thing.

Yes we are! Don’t think he’s even bothered to look into it that seriously and research the practicalities of it as I just mentioned to him that I was “researching” online and found it was only expenses paid and he seemed slightly shocked. Which almost pisses me off even more. Stressing me out just for the sake of it rather than thinking it’d genuinely financially benefit us. I think the thought of donating sperm just makes him feel special or something, ugh.

i know the mate donated in another country which he has strong connections with and not the UK

OP posts:
Shinyandnew1 · 30/03/2026 20:08

How much ‘pocket money for a holiday’ does he think he will be able to make here?!

MimiSunshine · 30/03/2026 20:10

his friend encouraging him and him considering it is really really weird.

this might be totally off base but do you get the sense that there could be a bit of a weird kink to it. From what you wrote and the way he’s approaching gives me a vibe that he’s excited to do it and the payment is just a nice bonus.

it would be a deal breaker for me and I’d be a) highly suspicious that he didn’t actually go ahead all those years ago but lied about it. Where did he get holiday money from?
and even if not that b) he’s waited until your tied to him with the pregnancy so you’re less likely to leave him over it.

which you absolutely can do BTW

carnivalcat · 30/03/2026 20:11

YANBU to not want your partner fathering other children. Obviously. Could it be some of this weird red pill shit? Where big strong alpha men father dozens of children?

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