Becoming pregnant using IUI with donor sperm can seem daunting, but fertility doctor Jane Miller MD guides her patients through each step of the process. Donor sperm should be considered if a woman doesn’t have a partner, or if her partner has severe male factor infertility and cannot produce enough sperm to achieve a pregnancy.
Most women select sperm from an accredited sperm bank. Dr. Miller gives her patients the names of reputable sperm banks and explains how to navigate their websites to select a sperm donor with the features they desire.
When undergoing IUI with donor sperm, all donor sperm has been frozen for safety purposes. All sperm donors undergo a semen analysis and blood tests for infectious diseases before they can be donors. If the donor produces a sample that passes the semen analysis and his blood tests reveal that he has a clean bill of health, he can produce specimens, which are then frozen. After six months, the donor must undergo the same blood tests. If the results are again negative, his sperm can be listed and released for use. All the donors who are listed on a sperm bank’s website have already been through this process and are ready to go.
If a woman wants to use the sperm of a known donor, such as a friend or an acquaintance, the above steps must be followed as well, including the six month quarantine period.
IUI with donor sperm can be timed to a woman’s natural cycle, using an over-the-counter ovulation predictor kit. It can also be performed as part of a medicated cycle in order to develop more eggs and to increase her chances of pregnancy.
The frozen donor sperm is thawed and injected into the woman’s uterus via a thin catheter inserted through her cervix. This takes less than one minute. The woman rests on the exam table for 15 minutes and then can resume her usual activities. She returns to the office for a pregnancy test two weeks later.
Contact us if you would like to schedule an appointment to learn more about IUI with donor sperm.