Donor Conception
Should I use a sperm donor? Your FAQ’s answered, with the team at Pride Angel
Eloise Edington | 9 Sep 2020
Should I use a sperm donor? It’s a question many might find themselves asking, and one we’re personally familiar with – TRB founder Eloise turned to sperm donation to help build her family, due to male factor infertility.
It could be a last resort if you’re pursing solo parenthood and haven’t found the right partner, and the only resort if you’re a lesbian or gay couple or an infertile couple, who need third-party fertility help.
Choosing a sperm donor – what are my options?
You can choose an unknown donor or ‘anonymous donor’ from a dedicated sperm/egg bank, or via your fertility clinic directly. Many people also opt for known donors, through sperm donor websites, like Pride Angel.
Known or private sperm donation can have many advantages over the traditional route, and it also allows recipients to know more about the donors’ characteristics and personality, along with the ability to maintain some form of ongoing contact, if desired.
To dig deeper, we’ve partnered with Pride Angel, a service to help people find their right co-parent or donor match, ensuring that they have the right information regarding health screening and legal considerations.
Read on as we cover when you might want to consider sperm donation, the differences between ‘known’ and ‘private’ sperm donrs, as well as how their service can help you.
What is sperm donation?
The definition of sperm donation is pretty self-explanatory, and is a commonly known term in regards to needing fertility help. However there may be some people, like yourself reading this right now, who hadn’t considered it before and are interested in learning a lot more about what it involves when trying to conceive. For example, the different types.
What are the different types of sperm donation?
You can chose a sperm donor via a sperm bank / fertility clinic and you may have the choice between:
- ‘anonymous’ donation– which is not possible in the UK and only available in certain countries (where you’re not able to contact the donor in the future)
- ‘open’ donation – (where your child can contact the donor via the sperm bank aged 18).
Alternatively, you can select a private sperm donor: a sperm donor who donates via private arrangement directly to a chosen individual.
A known sperm donor is someone you know for example a friend or extended family member, or it may be someone who you get to know and meet face to face through a website connection service such as Pride Angel.
In this instance, you will be able to have discussions about what you expect from the arrangement, such as occasional contact. This can be irrespective of whether you inseminate at home or do the process with the known donor through a fertility clinic.
What is the main criteria for sperm donation?
As with many things, there are certain criteria that sperm donors would have to adhere to, as this is a serious life-changing thing that needs to be carried out correctly.
Sperm donors need to be:
- between the age range of 18-41 years old
- in general good health (with no serious medical problems)
- non-smoking
- have availability for twelve visits to their specific fertility clinic over the course of a three month period
- consent to creating ten families
These requirements may differ according to the fertility clinic that you go to, so remember to do your research.
The age range as specified above is only for fertility clinics and not for known donors the choice is between the recipient and the donor as long as the sperm is functional
Should I use a sperm donor?
So why might you consider a sperm donor? Well it mainly comes down to having a choice.
Apart from some circumstances where you’re not able to use other avenues and this is your only choice, the fact that it is there at your disposal is important.
It is offering you a way to get what you have always wanted, and even though it may not be the most conventional, it is available as an option. So why not look into it and try to grab the opportunity with both hands?
Pride Angel was founded by professional scientists, Erika and Karen, who have personal experience of conceiving through a donor, and raising children as a lesbian couple.
If you want an answer to the question of why you should consider a donor, all you need to do is look through the ‘Pride Angel Journeys’ on their website, and that should give you your answer.
You will be able to see just how many lives they have changed, and what better incentive is that?
What are the pros and cons of using a sperm donor?
The pros of using a sperm donor are:
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For lesbian couples and solo mums, the ability to choose a sperm donor means they’re able to experience the wonder that is getting pregnant – they will not have to miss out, purely because of their sexuality or because they haven’t met a partner. Equally, for gay couples who are able to use an egg donor and miss out on the opportunity of becoming dads.
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For couples who have been struggling with infertility, this option provides them with a light at the end of the tunnel, a way for them to get what they have always wanted.
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When it comes to a ‘known’ sperm donor, you can take comfort in the fact that if they are a close friend or family member, you will know that certain positive attributes, whether they are personal or physical, will be passed onto your child.
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You also know that with a known sperm donor, it will be easier to ask any medical questions that you may have.
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With a ‘private’ sperm donor, a positive aspect is that, although you may not know the person, you’d still be able to find someone with the attributes you require.
The negatives of using a sperm donor include:
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With a private sperm donor, if you take your known donor to a fertility clinic, then it will have a higher cost associated with it than performing home insemination. However, the risk is minimised as the fertility clinic will perform all the STD testing.
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There could be complications that arise further down the line when using a known sperm donor, if they suddenly decide that they want to be in your child’s life.
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The process of interviewing candidates for a private sperm donor may be something you don’t have the time for.
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When it comes to your medical safety of conceiving with sperm that is unscreened via home insemination, you are at risk of hereditary disorders and/or sexually transmitted diseases.
What is Pride Angel?
Pride Angel is one of the leading donor connection websites worldwide, offering you fertility help, with over 90,000 registered members.
Erika Tranfield said: ‘Our aim was to create a website which provides all the information and resources necessary to help individuals and couples make the right choice regarding donor and fertility treatment options.’
They not only allow you to search a database of thousands of private donors who are willing to donate sperm or eggs, but Pride Angels allows you to search fertility clinics, fertility lawyers, fertility experts and support services such as complementary therapies, natural fertility, counselling and many more.
If you choose to conceive at home using DIY artificial insemination, Pride Angel also has information on health screening, legal donor agreements along with fertility tests and insemination’s kits available to buy through their shop.
How does Pride Angel work?
The first step when going onto their website is to create your own personal profile. From there, you can highlight what you are after, for example, a sperm donor, embryo donor, recipient (eggs), co-parent (male or female) etc.
Then you add details about your physical attributes like your height, eye and hair colour.
Once that’s all submitted, you’re able to search their worldwide database of donors, co-parents and recipients.
You can keep up with news and events through their fertility blog, as well as taking a look at their shop where they provide insemination kits and infection testing.
You can also now join as a Premium Member, which gives lots of benefits. For example: free message credits, access to personality test results, along with the ability to contact Pride Angel for personal advice on anything from choosing a donor to getting pregnant.
Want to learn more? Hop over to Pride Angel, browse their resources, and register for free.
