Ah, the joys a man experiences when he has a healthy penis! For many men, it only seems right that they should make good, practical use of that healthy penis in a tangible way: by donating sperm. After all, why should a man and his partners be the only ones to benefit from the fact that he has practiced superb penis care? The output from his sturdy member might be of great assistance for an infertile couple who wants a child or for scientists looking for manly seed to experiment with.

With this in mind, the man - his healthy penis already erecting at the thought of his magnanimity - sets out for a sperm bank to bless the workers there with a load of his treasure.

Not so fast, bro.

Actually, it's not quite as simple as that. While every man may assume that he is a prime candidate for donating sperm, there are screening processes in place. Among the factors that most sperm banks consider when deciding on whether to accept a man as a sperm donor are the following:

- Age. Most sperm collection facilities have an age range within which they want their donors to fall. This is generally somewhere between 18 and 45 years of age, although there may be some exceptions. A donor needs to legally be an adult, hence the lower limit is 18. It is commonly thought that sperm from men over 40 or 45 years of age undergoes a decline in quality. (This is in spite of studies that indicate that sperm from men over 40 years of age may be more likely to result in pregnancy than sperm from younger donors.)

- Health. The candidate must be in general good health. Some conditions, such as HIV, STIs and hemophilia, tend to result in automatic rejection.

- Height. Many (but not all) sperm collection centers have minimum height requirements, reflecting the value that society (and future parents) place upon tall men.

- Medical history. Most centers ask for a fairly detailed medical history of the candidate and of his immediate family.

- Tests. Blood and urine tests are often required; in some cases, a thorough physical examination may be part of the process.

You're in!

Sperm collecting is usually conducted in the for-profit world and as such is run as a legitimate business. Most centers are not interested in a "casual donor," so a guy looking to just come in and unload occasionally is usually out of luck. If a center pays for a sperm donation, they tend to set up a working arrangement for a man to come in on a regular basis, often twice a week, for a period of several months.

A guy who is interested in doing this for the money should know that some centers do not pay until the end of the contract period is reached. There also may be requirements in terms of amounts deposited on each visit and the quality of the sperm that can impact compensation. So a guy needs to be sure he's aware of all the details before committing.

No helping hands (from others).

Despite what the wonderful world of pornography tells people, the staff at a sperm center isn't dying to help you achieve ejaculation. It's a guy and his own hand that do all the work - so if a man has a fantasy about nurses in low-cut blouses jumping in to help, he's going to be disappointed.

He also may get a little sore from all that solo hand action; even an extremely healthy penis can get tired from donating sperm. It's good to regularly use a top-notch penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) to help alleviate pain. A crème loaded with natural moisturizers such as Shea butter and vitamin E will provide much-needed relief. One that also contains L-arginine is even better; this ingredient is an aid in the process by which penile blood vessels are kept open and healthy, something a man will be thankful for as he goes in for his regular donation sessions.