Health chiefs have made a desperate plea for donors to come forward – to boost their sperm bank.
The NHS is relaunching the service in one because supplies are running short.
Candidates will be offered a full health check, an appointment with a counsellor to ensure they understand the implications and £350 for 10 donations — £35 a pop.
Men aged between 18 and 40 are being invited to apply with over 100 people locally waiting for fertility treatment.
Two specialist suites – or “production facilities” – have been set aside for donors and kitted out with sofas and appropriate “reading material”
The appeal is being made in Edinburgh where sperm supplies have become increasingly hard to find.
The original NHS Edinburgh Sperm Bank was closed down seven years ago when the law guaranteeing anonymity for donors ended.
That meant any children they fathered could potentially track them down after reaching 18.
Graham Mackenzie, a NHS Lothian public health consultant, said: “We’ve struggled to get any sperm.
“We want to have a locally-provided service and local donors, that’s by far the best way of doing it.
“We can provide treatment to many more people because it’s much cheaper to access sperm than from commercial services.
“We’re keen to have donors from across society so it reflects the wide range of requirements people have.
“This is really about men who want to help others have a family.
“You can view it in the same way as giving blood or an organ. It’s not a simple decision, but some people choose through altruism to give donor sperm.”
It is hoped healthy men from across the region, aged between 18 and 40, will view becoming a donor in the same way as giving blood or signing up as an organ donor.
The doctors behind the appeal are stressing how it will offer a lifeline to couples who are desperate to become parents.
The service was relaunched this week and a publicity campaign is set to get under way to attract donors.
Jacqui Doran, andrology lab manager, will help run the service at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary.
She said: “We try to make the rooms not as clinical as normal ones in the hospital so it’s as comfortable for donors as possible.”
Sperm banks have recently been relaunched in other parts of Scotland and have been successful in attracting donors.
For information on how to donate visit www.edinburghspermbank.org.uk.