If you’re considering treatment with donor sperm, whether that’s IVF with donor sperm or donor sperm insemination, you’ll likely have some questions – so in our final blog of our donor sperm treatment series, our Donation Team answers some of the many FAQs we’re asked to give you an insight:
How much does treatment using a sperm donor cost?
As every treatment plan is created bespokely for each patient, costs vary. But a general indication of price for both IVF with donor sperm or donor sperm insemination can be found on our Prices page.
To help our patients, we’ve also created a pre-paid, multicycle package for donor sperm insemination that not only gives you the reassurance of up to three cycles of insemination, but at a fixed, discounted cost compared to paying for each cycle individually.
We’re the only clinic in the North West to specifically create a multicycle discounted package for donor sperm insemination, which we designed with your needs in mind. Read more about the package here along with its FAQs.
How many sperm donors will I be matched with?
Our Donation Team aims to give you a choice of at least two sperm donors that closely meet the characteristics you have specified. If you have no preference for either, we will continue to search for a sperm donor that fits your needs until you’re happy and confident with your choice.
Can I specify qualities I want my sperm donor to have? Such as level of education or physical appearance?
Yes of course. Our Donation Team works closely with you to get an understanding of your ideal sperm donor – what he looks like, what he might be like as a person and the types of interests, hobbies and work he enjoys. The team then analyses the profiles of all our available sperm donors, and uses their own knowledge of each of our sperm donors to find potential matches for you.
What are my chances of success using donor sperm?
Your chances of success using donor sperm are influenced by many different factors, including your age at the time of treatment (and therefore the age and quality of your eggs), your ovarian reserve and whether your insemination cycle is natural or stimulated using fertility drugs. IVF with donor sperm is more successful than donor sperm insemination, however your Manchester Fertility consultant will advise which approach will work best for you and gives you the highest chance of success.
Is there anything else you can do as part of my treatment to boost my chances of success?
We ensure all the sperm we offer is from healthy, fertile men that have the highest quality sperm.
If you have IVF with donor sperm that involves the creation of embryos, you can opt to have your embryos developed in our special time-lapse incubators, which give our Embryologists detailed information about every crucial stage of growth. So that only those embryos with the highest potential for pregnancy are selected for transfer.
All embryos created are also dipped into a special ‘glue’ solution just prior to transfer. EmbryoGlue, used free of charge, is proven to help embryos ‘stick’ to the uterus after transfer to aid implantation.
You can read more about our advanced techniques here.
Can I have another baby in future using the same sperm donor?
Subject to donor availability and the 10-family limit rule – that restricts each donor to the creation of 10 separate families only - it may be possible for you to ‘reserve’ sperm if your treatment is successful, for use in future cycles of treatment. Many women choose to do this; so future siblings share the same biological origins. We’ll be able to advise you about the possibility of reserving sperm when treatment outcome is known.
Does my sperm donor have any rights over my child?
If sperm donation and treatment takes place through a HFEA licensed clinic, then your HFEA-registered sperm donor has no legal, financial or moral responsibility for any subsequent children. He is not legally the child’s parent and has no parental rights.
But the law is complex in cases of donation outside of this setting. In some instances, the sperm donor may be the legal father, such as if you and your partner are not married or in a civil partnership, or if you’re a single person. It’s vital to get specialist legal advice if you’re considering insemination outside of a licensed clinic setting. Read the HFEA’s advice about this on the HFEA website.
Can my sperm donor find out who my child is?
Although donor-conceived children have the right to find out who their sperm donor is when they turn 18, the onus is always on the child to decide to know this information. The sperm donor cannot apply for any identifying information about the child. As the donor, he is only entitled to know if a child has been born, the year of its birth and its gender.
Have you got any questions about treatment with donor sperm that you’d like to ask? Or questions about the treatment process? Just contact our friendly Donation Team on 0161 300 2737. They are happy to help.
Last updated: 20th January 2020
