Finding the right sperm donor can be a long process. After all, the traits and characteristics of your children’s father will be reflected in them--so you want to pick a donor that will give your children the best chance at success. This can mean sifting through hundreds of possible donors until you find the right one.
Luckily, there has been a recent surge of sperm donors, at least in the US. Many of these sperm donors are willing to help you start your family at no cost other than any travel expenses. This means that finding a sperm donor, even a free one, is easier than it’s ever been.
One of the toughest decisions you’ll need to make when deciding on a sperm donor is whether you’d like them to be known or anonymous. This decision can have serious effects later on down the line when it comes to parenting or your child’s desire to meet their biological father. For more information on known vs anonymous donors, check out our article comparing the two.
Up until recently, choosing an anonymous sperm donor was pretty much your only choice. Unless you had someone you knew who was willing to donate sperm, it was unlikely that you’d find someone willing to be a known donor.
Although many people are now choosing known donors, anonymous donors are still a popular option. They are also typically the only option available when using a sperm bank.
Choosing a known sperm donor doesn’t mean that they need to play an active role (or any role at all) in your child’s life. At the most basic level, it simply means that you know who they are and are able to contact them if you ever want to.
Using a known sperm donor is the best way to keep your options open. It also gives you the opportunity to better know the donor. Rather than choosing a donor based on a few given characteristics, you’ll have the opportunity to meet them in person and decide if they are the right one for you.
If you’ve decided to seek a free sperm donor to avoid the high costs and waiting times of a sperm bank, there are a couple of options.
One of the best ways to find a free sperm donor is simply by asking friends and family if they would be willing to donate. As long as you are both comfortable with this, this can be one of the fastest ways. Also, you will already know their characteristics and personality. However, some people may find this uncomfortable and the donor may feel pressured to accept.
This can be a good choice for same-sex couples since they could use genetics that are similar to both parents. For example, a lesbian couple could use the sperm from one of the partner’s brothers to have a kid that is very close to the genetics of both parents.
There are also a number of free sperm donor registries available that have plenty of known donors willing to donate sperm at little/no charge. Modamily has over 3,000 known donors ready to help you start your family. We provide a wide variety of information on the donor as well as the opportunity to meet them in person. Simply sign up for our search service or a free consultation today!
A free sperm donor registry is the best way to choose from an assortment of characteristics. Having thousands of options available means that there is someone that will match exactly what you’re looking for. If there isn’t, there are new donors joining all the time so chances are they’ll be there soon.
If you are part of a new wave of young adults seeking to start a family through co-parenting, you will need to use donor sperm unless you plan on conceiving naturally with your co-parent. Choosing a known donor can allow you to bring in a third parent to help, or you may even be able to find a donor willing to be your co-parent. This can help take some of the burden off your shoulders.
If you are a lesbian couple seeking to start your family, choosing a known donor will give you a better opportunity to find the exact type of donor that you want. It can also allow you to have a third parent to help you raise your child. Some lesbian couples want their child to have some sort of fatherly influence. Bringing the sperm donor into the fold can be a great way to do this.
It may seem like going through the traditional route of a sperm bank is the safer bet, but this is not the case. Sperm banks will place you on a waitlist where you may be waiting for months and you may only get to select from a few donors. Also, popular donors at sperm banks often have a 50+ person waiting list, meaning that you’ll have to wait even longer to the top donors.
A free sperm donor registry will provide you with thousands of options at no charge. Having a free known donor will also give you the chance to get any information that you may want as well as the opportunity to meet the donor in person.
Sperm banks often offer a limited amount of information. If you’re making a decision that will impact your child’s future, why limit your information? Furthermore, why add thousands of dollars in additional costs to a process that can already be expensive?
If you’ve found a sperm donor, the next step is getting pregnant. There are essentially two options, artificial insemination and natural insemination. Before you do either, make sure your donor has a health check and that you both sign a donor agreement. Modamily Concierge can provide referrals to legal professionals for you if needed.
Artificial insemination is the process of inseminating oneself without intercourse. This can be done via In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment or by intracervical (ICI) or intrauterine insemination (IUI). IVF is typically done for infertile couples or couples that have trouble conceiving. IVF can be very expensive so we recommend first trying ICI or IUI. Both IUI and ICI involve placing the sperm in the vagina using a syringe or other tool. For more information on these, click here.
Apart from IVF, artificial insemination is great because it can be done in the comfort of your own home. Home insemination is a very cheap and safe way to conceive a child. It also has about the same success rate as natural insemination.
Although this may seem very uncomfortable for many, utilizing natural insemination (AKA intercourse) to conceive a child with a donor is not totally unheard of. If both you and your partner are ok with it, it can be an easy way to conceive. However, it may present some serious relationship problems and Modamily recommends only people in a romantic relationship use NI to conceive.
It is likely more of a realistic option for single women who want a kid. In this case, there would be no partner to upset. However, you should first make sure the donor is properly tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
Modamily has connections with over 10,000 known donors willing to help you start your family at no charge other than travel and medical expenses. We provide a plethora of information on our donors such as age, height, body type, education, medical history, religion, ethnicity, race, eye color, hair color, smoking habits, occupation, and more. You will also have the opportunity to meet the donor in person!
We have a team of experts who can help you through your whole process to make it as smooth as possible. Avoid the high costs and long waits of a traditional sperm bank and create a free account for our search service, or sign up for a free consultation!