Have you ever heard of the term "donor insemination"? You may not know the procedure by that very stately term, but chances are you're familiar with the process once it's been explained.
Donor insemination is the placement of a sperm within a woman's uterus which ahs been obtained through a sperm donor. The origin of this sperm, more often than not, is not the woman's partner. Usually the sperm is obtained through a sperm back or it may come from a known 'sperm donor.
See, I told you that you'd be familiar with the process if not the name.
Obviously, this option to a conventional traditional pregnancy is not for couples where the women is experiencing problems in fertilizing an egg or carrying an embryo and fetus to full time.
For the most part, this option is chosen by those couples in which the male partner is infertile while the female partner has no fertility issues. It may also be an option for two females in a same-sex relationship who choose to raise a family. And there are some single women who want to be parents, but are not in a place in their lives where they've found their ideal partner.
The process itself.
So what exactly is involved in this procedure? The initial step is the selection of a sperm from a sperm bank. You'd be surprised at the number of sperm banks available to choose from. The sheer number of them existing means -- almost by default -- that some of them are better sources than others.
These banks indeed run the gamut when it comes to the number of donors available, the quality and quantity of the information of the donor as well as the eventual availability of the donor's identification.
You'd be pleasantly surprised to learn that sperm banks must meet certain requirements in a number of areas, not the least of these is in the area of infectious diseases.
But the banks go one step further than just though too. Sperm banks considered to be certified must met specific requirements when it comes to these diseases. In addition to that, sperm entering the bank is "quarantined" for a certain time period.
Exactly where a woman gets "inseminated" is up to the specific policies of the bank and her personal preference. Some women, for example, prefer to perform the inseminations at home. If this is the case, it's almost certain she'll be receiving an intra-vaginal insemination.
If on the other hand the insemination is to be performed in a physician's office the sperm is shipped directly from the sperm bank to the health care practitioner. It's stored her until the timing for insemination matches your cycle.
The recommended process is called intrauterine insemination. Studies have shown that the chances of a successful conception increase when the exposure of the sperm itself is controlled. The chances of success also increase when the sperm is placed in larger numbers and as close to the egg or eggs as possible.
You're responsible -- not the doctor -- for contacting the sperm bank to select and request the sperm. Once you've done that the sperm bank ships it to your doctor's office where it stays in storage in liquid oxygen. Once you and your doctor decide the time is right, then sperm counts on performed on the donor sperm.
Using at known donor sperm
What, you have your own opinion on the sperm you should use? And you want to use one from an individual you already know?
But before you do this, think about all the potential problems that could arise. For once, think like a pessimist and not an optimist. If you use a known donor, is he going to want some voice in raising the child? Does he realize exactly what he's offering?
Both of you -- prior to even getting involved in this process -- need to visit attorney (and obviously not the same one!). You can see how this can open a legal, as well a moral can of worms. But, if you two can come to some understanding, it certainly can work out well for both of you!
And that's it! Before you know it you'll hopefully be pregnant. And what a wonderfully feeling that will be!
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