Getting pregnant and starting your family is every woman’s dream. But getting this dream fulfilled is sometimes tough for many women. The reasons could be anything like low sperm count in your partner, or being a single woman. There is one hope for all such women and that is by taking help from your sperm donor.
Taking the help of a sperm donor is itself a big decision and finding the right one is a big task. As you do not want to risk your and your baby’s life, you will have to choose the donor carefully. Don’t worry some professionals can come to your rescue and guide you well. For your reference, there are many such fertility clinics here in the UK, whose reviews you can check online. It is always better to visit here in their office and understand what their process is all about.
Certain things need to be considered for finding a sperm donor:
This is a very complex procedure as there are a lot of things to consider here. First of all, if you are going to raise this child with your spouse then you will need to be prepared for the emotional issues in your relationship. Also, the results need not be positive all the time, so you need to be ready for this too.
At last, the worse that can happen is if your child would find out about his paternal news, which will cause some trouble later on. So, you will have to keep yourself prepared.
Find a Sperm Donor
There are two ways through which you can find a sperm donor:
- An anonymous donor: This man would have donated his sperm at the sperm bank with the hope of helping someone in need. Don’t worry such sperms are available only in some licensed fertility clinics where they make all the quality checks before it is approved.
- A known donor: This can be someone whom you know and who wishes to help you in this case.
Find a fertility clinic
In the UK, there is a Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that provides licenses and regulates fertility clinics here. As per them, the patients need to choose fertility clinics that are providing effective treatment, well-trained staff, open and clear pricing, easy and seamless administrative process, and lastly the emotional support that is required the most.
Screening of Donor sperms
All the fertility clinics and banks that are licensed by the HFEA always have to screen the sperm to ensure that it is safe and clear from any kind of infection. The screenings are usually done for infections like Chlamydia, Hepatitis, Syphilis, HIV, and Gonorrhea. This will give the patient some peace of mind.
But if you get this sperm donated outside the fertility clinics then it might not be screened and hence at risk of getting an infection.
Types of Treatments
There are two types of fertility treatments in this case:
- IUI (Intra-Uterine Insemination): This will involve a check on the women’s period cycle to check when their eggs are matured before the sperm donation is done.
- IVF: Here eggs are removed from the ovaries and are then fertilized with the donor’s sperm outside the body before it is placed in the womb.
Women usually prefer IUI because it is cheaper and has a higher chance of getting pregnant.
If you are using a donor that is from an HFEA fertility clinic, then the donor can be identifiable. So, you can get all his information and meet him too. Also, in terms of legality, the donor will not have any legal rights over the child. You and your spouse (if any) will be called legal parents.
Process of getting pregnant
- With an initial scan and consultation, your doctor will give you a personalized plan
- Blood tests will be done to rule out the issue of infections.
- There will be a counseling session before you get the donor sperm treatment
- There will be a consultation with the nurses who will explain the protocol and will administer the medication. If you have any questions, you can ask them at that time.
- The nurse will then match you with a suitable donor and you will be asked to fill up the consent form.
For any further issues or concerns, you need to consult the fertility center for further counseling.