Chinese men are being urged to donate their sperm to a fertility clinic in Yunnan province that is in desperate need of sperm.

The sperm bank says the number of volunteers has dropped dramatically since the coronavirus outbreak and it’s experiencing a drastic shortage.

The problem was also heightened by the poor quality of semen as only 20 per cent of people were qualified donors, according to a doctor.

Sperm donation is used to help people start families when they can’t have children of their own naturally. For example, a male partner is infertile, both parents are women, or if the mother is single.

The amount of sperm left in the Chinese health facility can now only help 30 couples.

It has seen only 170 people signing up for the task this year so far, nearly 60 per cent less than last year when it saw about 400 volunteers.

Dr Li Wenfu told Pear Video on Thursday (July 23) ; “[Sperm] from type A and type O blood are in serious shortages. We are urging charitable local men to actively participate and make donations.”

Healthy male Chinese citizens, aged between 22 and 45, are eligible to become volunteers, according to the sperm bank.

But people who suffer hair loss or severe short-sightedness are not allowed to contribute their semen.

And once they are selected as a qualified donor, the man has to restrain himself from sexual activities for three to seven days before making the contribution.

The whole process would take about eight months, according to Dr Li. The volunteer will be awarded up to 5,000 yuan (US $712) after completing the donation.