A test of testes: Chinese fertility centre holds competition for the 'best sperm'

  • The Human Sperm Bank of Shanghai is holding the competition for students 
  • The fertility centre hopes to encourage donors and promote reproductive health 
  • The contest will assess who has the highest count and the 'most beautiful' spermA Chinese sperm bank is holding a competition for college students to see who has the best quality semen.

    The Human Sperm Bank of Shanghai is trying to recruit donors and promote reproductive health with the summer contest.

    Launched on July 12, the competition which is free to enter for students in Shanghai aged 20 to 45. 

    A Chinese sperm bank is holding a competition for college students to see who has the best quality semen

    A Chinese sperm bank is holding a competition for college students to see who has the best quality semen

    Their names will not be publicly released and will determine who has the highest concentration of sperm,  the most viable sperm and who has the 'most beautiful' sperm.

    While there is no prize other than bragging rights for the winners, the sperm bank hopes to sign them up as donors and will offer them payment for their donations. 

    Entrants must be Chinese citizens living in Shanghai, educated to college level and at least 5ft 5ins tall.People with a history of genetic diseases of sexually transmitted diseases are not allowed to enter. 

    Chen Xiangfeng, a doctor from Renji Hospital in charge of the fertility centre, told The Paper, according to The Global Times: 'Since the launch of the activity, there have been many college students who would like to participate in it, and their information will be kept confidentially.'

    The doctor added that the purpose of the competition is not to collect sperm but to raise awareness of reproductive health, saying: 'Don't wait until you've hit child-bearing age.'

    The Human Sperm Bank of Shanghai is trying to recruit donors and promote reproductive health with the summer contest

    The Human Sperm Bank of Shanghai is trying to recruit donors and promote reproductive health with the summer contest

    If the competition entrants wish to donate their sperm too, the bank will also sign them up if they meet the requirements.

    They must have a minimum sperm concentration of 60million per millilitre of semen, and they will need to visit the bank several times within six months.

    Donors are offered subsidies covering food and transport, with the sum depending on the number of donations and the quality of sperm, up to a fee of £850.

    The number of sperm donors eligible for the bank has fallen in recent years. 

    Amid the shortage in donations and a general decline of sperm counts among men globally, Chinese fertility centres are offering more incentives to encourage donations.

    The Shanghai sperm bank has been posting about the best sperm it has received every month.

    In June, the highest recorded was a sports fan with 282million sperm per millitre, around 19 times the normal level. 

    The winner across all categories last month was a man who had 208million sperm per millilitre and a motility of 76 per cent, more than twice the normal level.

    In the past five years, half of the donors to the Shanghai sperm bank were college students.

    The overall qualification rate was around 30 per cent.

    The bank was the first of its kind in Shanghai and was founded in 2003, sending donations to 17 fertility centres across the city. 

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