Using a Sperm Donor for IUI

woman that used donor sperm for iui

Using a Sperm Donor for IUI

Beginning to explore the option of using a sperm donor for IUI (intrauterine insemination)? Good for you. This method is increasingly popular for single women, and/or LGBTQ+ individuals, to conceive a baby of their own. Using donor sperm and IUI is also an effective fertility treatment for couples battling male infertility factors when the female half of the equation is able to ovulate naturally or with fertility medications.

How Do Sperm Donation and IUI Work?

You can read the detailed ins-and-outs of IUI in the post, IUI (intrauterine insemination) Explained.

The bottom line is that this fertility treatment, more affordable than IVF, places sperm directly into the uterus cavity, increasing the chances it will fertilize the available egg(s). Depending on the female fertility diagnosis and preferences, we can perform IUI in-sync with her natural ovulation cycle or we can use oral or injectable medications to increase the number of eggs released for the procedure.

Obviously, sperm are integral players in this procedure. In some cases, they’re provided by the father. In others, they are provided by a sperm donor – either known or anonymous. In either case, frozen sperm are thawed to sync with the woman’s ovulation cycle and then used for the IUI procedure.

How Do I Find a Sperm Donor?

There are two methods for selecting a sperm donor:

Ask someone you know

Sometimes, whether it be a quest for someone with similar genetic material to your partner (such as a brother or cousin), to maintain a more intimate feel to the process, and/or to reduce the costs associated with IUI fertility treatments, individuals or couples opt to find a donor on their own.

If this is the case for you, we highly recommend you work with a family law specialist experienced with sperm donors to ensure that everyone understands the black-and-white ramifications surrounding sperm donation and IUI, and to draw up the recommended, standard legal paperwork.

Select a sperm donor

In most cases, our patients select their sperm from a sperm bank. The Fertility Center of Dallas has long-standing relationships with several, reputable sperm banks around the country, and we’re happy to make referrals. These days, you can do much of the work online – including looking through photos and perusing biographical/physiological information pertaining to thousands of donors in order to select a donor that meets your desired specifications.

In addition to taking emotional ties out of the equation, using donor sperm from respectable sperm banks ensures the donor has a clear medical and psychological history, and it guarantees he has been screened for the most common chromosomal and genetic disorders, which increases your chances of conceiving and giving birth to a health, pre-term baby.

Who Are the Best Candidates for IUI Using Donor Sperm?

The most typical candidates for using a sperm donor for an IUI treatment are:

·         Couples where male infertility factor is an issue

·         Single women choosing to become mothers without a partner

·         LGBTQ+ individuals – single or in a partnership – who opt to use a sperm donor

·         Individuals or couples preventing a genetically-inherited disease carried by the father

Please contact the Fertility Center of Dallas to learn more about using donor sperm for intrauterine insemination (IUI). We always strive to choose the most affordable and effective fertility treatment to optimize your ability to conceive.



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