Thanks to Choice Moms sponsor Sepal Reproductive Devices, which offers products and insight for women using home insemination, for these guidelines on working with a known donor.
Posted August 26, 2010 at 4:45 PM
Testing your known donor
Tips
- Make sure your donor has a general health exam that includes a psychological exam. This will cover all general health concerns, background information, etc.
- Have your donor give a sperm donation and have it analyzed for sperm motility (movement), morphology (size, shape and appearance), and concentration (count).
- A full STD screening with 2 blood tests 6 months apart
- A genetic disease screening
- Disclosure of any past medical history, drug and/or alcohol use, smoking, etc.
- Use legal counsel to go over rights and make sure both of you are clear on all issues.
You likely have a sound relationship with your known donor and should always feel comfortable asking for any information you need. Get as much information as possible and make sure both parties are clear about everything. There are a lot of issues to consider together, and individually. The stronger your ability to talk about them now, the better the environment you will be creating for your child.
Read the other posts about using known donors on ChoiceMoms.org. There is a growing library of information for the high number of women who visit this website for home insemination. Also visit Sepal Reproductive Devices for information about its Total Conception Kit to help you accomplish your goals of home conception.
Reader Comments
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Posted August 29, 2010 at 12:01 AM by kst
One issue to address is the number of children that you intend to eventually have. I always know I wanted 2... unfortunately my known donor somehow got it into his head that 1 was enough and felt that he could make that choice for me 3 years later when I used our frozen embryos to try for a sibling for my son. Make sure to include the desired number of children in your contract.