For many people who want to conceive, seeking the help of a sperm donor is sometimes a necessary step - but two men have made it their mission to help couples skip the sperm bank by offering their services directly.
American Kyle Gordy and Australian Adam Hooper are going on a 'donation tour' around the country to provide sperm privately and directly to those in need after learning there is a three-year waitlist for sperm banks.
Speaking to AM show co-host Melissa Chan-Green, Gordy revealed he has over 40 children with women around the world who he keeps in touch with through a group chat.
Gordy said most of the time donation works by artificial inseminations through a cup and syringe or sometimes through sexual intercourse.
While women don't have to pay anything for his services, parents who help out with travel costs receive priority.
"The real goal is to help women out that are struggling to have a child," he said.
Gordy said the anonymity of donating through a sperm bank deterred him from taking the more traditional route.
"I would want the children to know me and this way it feels more personal, so the women are actually able to talk to me, get to know me and they also have the chance of the child meeting me," he said.
However, New Zealand clinics are warning Kiwis that practices such as those offered by Gordy are unsafe because there aren't routine checks.
There is also the controversial moral issue of the children having more than 40 siblings, with some New Zealand sperm banks enforcing a cap of seven children.
Gordy said he gets regular STI checks, sometimes in front of the women, and has undergone genetic testing and a semen analysis.
"Every time there's going to be haters or people that dislike something that they believe in but I just tell them that I am helping women start families… Some women would miss out on that opportunity if it wasn't for me in some cases," Gordy said.
