Men can reproduce eggs almost up until they die. Unlike women, who have an finite amount of eggs, sperm can always be replaced, so it never runs out. This is why sperm banks are one of the top choices for single women who want a child, and couples who may be having fertility issues.

But being a sperm donor means you there is basically no limit to how many children you can be the father to.

One wife experienced the downside of this when her husband of eight years revealed to her how many women had picked his sperm out of all the other options at the bank.

The woman asked for advice on a social media platform whether she was out of line in considering a divorce when she found out her husband was the father of 47 children, at last count.

While she said she always knew he was a sperm doner, she wrote in the post: “I was… Not expecting that many.

“It’s clearly my fault for not asking how many. At the time, I literally said I ‘didn’t care’ about his sperm donation and ‘didn’t want to know,’ so I can’t blame him for not telling me how many. I literally told him not to.”

In the thread, members can post their dilemmas, and the community responds with their judgment of whether or not they are overreacting.

Hundreds of people responded to the post, with the majority concluding that she was in the wrong.

People said they didn’t understand her position of worrying about the problems 47 children could cause as they get older. Some said 47 children reaching out for his contact details would merely be an “inconvenience,” rather than a disaster.

“Seems like the only problem that is guaranteed is you leaving him and upending your daughter’s life,” wrote one person.

“You knew in advance, specifically asked not to know how many and have been married for years,” wrote another. “What’s the real reason you want a divorce?”

Many of the comments agreed with this question, suggesting the poster was looking for excuses to get out of an unhappy or unsatisfying marriage.

“Well, it would suck if their child ended up falling for a half sibling later in life because the child has 47 of them out there,” one poster said, which kicked up a debate about incest and genetics.

Overall, the results were pretty unanimous, with most people thinking the poster was out of line to consider a divorce when her husband simply helped multiple people start a family.

“He didn’t personally impregnate 47 women,” noted one user. “Don’t ruin your daughter’s life over this … Talk to a therapist or marriage counsellor first.”

News24