WHY USE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION TO GET PREGNANT?
artificial insemination is used for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons women choose to use a sperm donor are:
- The male partner is sterile and can’t provide a sperm (prior vasectomy, no sperm production)
- Single women and lesbian couples use donor sperm to help them achieve the family they desire.
- Couples use donor sperm to avoid passing on a genetic disease that is carried by the male partner.
USING A SPERM DONOR TO GET PREGNANT
Patients who wish to use a sperm donor can either buy sperm from a sperm bank or ask a friend or relative to donate. Most couples/women purchase sperm from sperm banks. It is more expensive to bank and store sperm of a friend or family member then it is to purchase donor sperm from a sperm bank.
Sperm donors are screened and tested for infectious diseases, including HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. The communicable disease screening of a sperm donor is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and required by law.
Donor sperm can be used with inseminations or IVF. For women undergoing inseminations, the sperm is inserted directly into the uterus around the time of ovulation to achieve pregnancy. For IVF, the donor sperm is usually inserted directly into the egg after the egg retrieval.
WHAT ARE MY CHANCES OF GETTING PREGNANT WITH DONOR SPERM?
There are a variety of factors that can affect a woman’s chances of conceiving with donor sperm. Age, egg quality, patency of the fallopian tubes, past history of pregnancy, and general health can significantly impact the likelihood of pregnancy. Women under the age of 35 with no history of fertility problems have the best chance of becoming pregnant with donor sperm.