When the male partner has severe sperm abnormalities or lacks sperm production (azoospermia), or when a single woman or lesbian couple does not have a male partner, pregnancy is still possible through the use of donor sperm.
Sperm donation involves the use of anonymously donated sperm that has been selected by the patient from a commercial sperm bank. The selected sperm is shipped and stored at CARE Fertility to use in conjunction with the appropriate fertility treatment.
Donor sperm may be used in the following types of infertility treatment:
Intrauterine insemination (IUI). Insemination is timed based on either the women’s natural menstrual cycle at the time of ovulation, or in conjunction with oral fertility medications at the time of ovulation. A soft tube is placed through the cervix to deposit the processed donor sperm specimen into the woman’s womb (uterus). The process is simple and quick with minimal discomfort for the patient.
In vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF is a good treatment option for women or couples using donor sperm. This option may allow a woman or couple to create multiple embryos and, essentially, their family over time from a single vial of donor sperm. Embryos may be frozen and used for multiple frozen embryo transfer cycles in the future. This can help address the concern that the original donor sperm may no longer be available when returning for another pregnancy.