| Brow Beat Could One Man Really Father 533 Children? By Sharan Shetty
Posted Tuesday, Jul 09, 2013, at 10:41 PM ET  In the trailer for the upcoming romantic comedy Delivery Man, the aimless protagonist played by Vince Vaughn learns that the sperm donations he made years ago have left him the father of 533 children. "It is impossible to be the father of 533 children," the character says, and he's not the only one to question the movie's premise: "Even if you're talking … what, half a syringe or one-third of a shot glass per woman," wonders Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere, "wouldn't several pints if not quarts be necessary to impregnate 535? Sorry, but these questions have to be raised." Indeed. Is it really possible for one sperm donor to father 533 children? And how much would it take, "pints" or "quarts"? About 1.5 to 3 liters. It's theoretically possible to donate enough sperm to father 533 children, and there are a couple men who have come close, but it would take years, and these days there are guidelines and restrictions to prevent it.
Most sperm banks and fertility clinics cap the number of donations that even the most generous donors can make. In the United States, for example, most fertility clinics and sperm banks adhere to guidelines issued by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), which recommends restricting conceptions by individual donors to 25 births per population area of 800,000. This is meant to limit the number of half-siblings in a given area and reduce the chance of inbreeding. Others must obey ... To continue reading, click here.
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