Upstream, a male preconception health startup, has announced PreSeed Fertility, a database for sperm donor matching.
More than 120 donors are on the registry, which has been live for several months, representing 10% of the current active U.S. donor base. PreSeed does not store or distribute sperm, but rather partners with licensed clinics, sperm agencies and legal professionals to help pair intended parents with the right donor.
One in six people have experienced infertility globally, and male factors contribute to nearly half of all cases. When it comes to sperm donation, there is a major supply mismatch, with far more families looking for sperm donors than are available.
“People are so desperate to have kids, and there's relatively limited options out there,” Gigi Brett, founder of PreSeed and Upstream, told Fierce Healthcare.
Sperm donation is a largely unregulated field with many ethical considerations. There is medical association guidance on donating frequency limits, but this can be difficult to enforce. There is also no national registry of registered sperm donors, though the figure commonly cited is only about 1,500 active donors nationwide. And intended parents don’t get much visibility into donors beyond basic aesthetic and health information, Brett argues.
“It’s a really icky industry where there’s no transparency … for parents, the UI/UX process totally sucks,” Brett said. “You don’t get any substance of who this man actually is, and you’re making one of the most important decisions of your life.”
PreSeed can be combined with Upstream’s 10-week preconception health program, which allows intended parents to cover the costs of a donor. Upstream combines sperm and genetic testing, psychiatric evaluations and in-depth health screenings with personalized health recommendations. Prospective donors optimize their health before entering the matching pool to ensure the best fertility outcomes and long-term child health trajectories.
Upstream, which has been operational for about two years, is supported by a network of clinicians and other experts, like a male fertility specialist and an epigenetics expert, who guide the protocol and recommendations. Upstream has seen 2x to 3x increase in male fertility on its platform, alongside a 41% increase in testosterone.
While sperm banks collect and store sperm, sperm agencies help match donors with families. Intended parents might seek out a sperm matching agency, which would then come to PreSeed for its database. PreSeed has revenue-share agreements with its agency partners, primarily working with one agency today. In the future, it is exploring making its platform available directly to parents.
Upstream previously partnered with Legacy, a national at-home fertility clinic, on a pilot alongside the Military Family Building Coalition, supporting a cohort of Navy SEALs through fertility optimization and education. This pilot was an early validation of how the model can work within highly specific populations, per Brett. Outcomes were not published.