Single women, lesbian couples and heterosexual couples stuggling to conceive may be thinking about how to use a sperm donor.
There are 2 main ways in which you can use a sperm donor:
- Using a sperm donor from a sperm bank
- Using a private sperm donor met via an online introductory service or perhaps a friend.
How to use a sperm donor at a sperm bank
When searching for a sperm donor it is important to consider what type of donor is right for you. Most sperm banks enable you to choose donor profiles with basic or extended information and the possibility of contact in the future or anonymous donation.
Choosing a sperm bank
When you search for a sperm bank online you will be presented with lots of different results. Ensure you look at the customer reviews before you decide which one to select.
Select a sperm donor profile
Some sperm banks will give you access to their full list of donor profiles whereas others will ask you to pay a fee in order to view more detailed pieces of donor information.
You can select a sperm donor profile based on the following information:
- Physical characteristics
- Non ID release or ID release
- Screening test results
- Donor characteristics
When you have selected your perfect profile, in order to use a sperm donor, you will arrange artificial insemination at a clinic. Safe in the knowledge that the sperm is fully tested, you can recieve techniques such as IUI or IVF to help you become pregnant.
How to use a private sperm donor
If choosing semen from a sperm bank is not for you then the option of using a private sperm donor is a popular choice. A private sperm donor can be a friend or someone whom you have met using an online introductory service.
For some women, choosing sperm without knowing the man that produced it, is not a viable option to become pregnant. A private sperm donor will enable you to share with your child who their biological father is. Not all private sperm donors are involved in the childs uprngining, some can be a distant uncle figure or not involved at all. A growing number of private donors are known as ‘dad’ to their child and in some ways involved in the child’s upbringing at an agreed level between both parents.
Getting pregnant with a private sperm donor
Using the private sperm donor channel means that you must take control of all the testing procedures to ensure the donor sperm is safe and fertile enough to achieve pregnancy. This can be done easily through a GP or local health clinic.
When you have the results to say that the sperm you are going to use is clean in terms of infection/disease and the semen if highly motile you can arrange to have home insemination or artificial insemination at a clinic.
Home insemination is the process of getting pregnant at home using a sterile syringe and specimen cup. Essentially the donor will produce a sample of sperm into a specimen cup and the woman will inject the sperm into her vgina using a sterile luer slip syringe. This is a pain free process and with highly successful results.
Choosing the right option for you
Do your homework on how to use a sperm donor as there are options available to you. Methods such as IVF through a clinic can be very costly, with limited success rates however this is the safest option. Home insemination is highly successful and relatively cost free however there can be risks if you do not ensure health testing.