Single Women turning to sperm donors
There is a trend gathering considerable pace. Young women are diching traditional methods of becoming pregnant and are turning to sperm donor matching websites to find a sperm donor to help them have a baby.
The number of single women in the UK alone who are trying to start a family has increased by a third in just two years.
People talk about the age of women conceiving getting older due to a career drive however there are still a lot of young women who have a very early maternal instinct that is stronger than any career aspirations. These are not women who are in male dominated relationships going out getting pregnant on a whim. They are young, intelligent single women who have made it their goal to become a mother.
Why are single women looking for sperm donors?
1) Some women suffer fertility issues from a young age and know that if they want to become a mother they need to start the process sooner rather than later.
2) Women who are not in a relationship with a boyfriend or partner are not prepared to wait for Mr Right to come along so they take matters into their own hands.
3) A growing number of women consider themselves to be asexual and don’t want relationship. They still however have a maternal instinct to become a mother and want to go it alone.
4) There are women who may have a perfectly happy relationship further down the line however at a young age decide the common route of courting, marriage, house, baby is not for them and they bypass go and head straight to a sperm donor website.
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How to choose a sperm donor
1) Decide if you want to know and meet your sperm donor.
A known sperm donor can be a friend, a colleague or someone you meet whom you can ask to donate sperm.
Consider what personal elements are important to you e.g. looks, personality, interests.
Check the level of sperm motility you are using.
Ensure your sperm donor has completed a health & fertility screening process.
2) An anonymous sperm donor - chosen off a sperm bank donor list.
If you choose to use an anonymous donor ensure you select sperm that is eligible to be released to your country of residence.
3) A Co-parent - someone who you know or meet that you want to raise your child with you.
What are the methods of achieving pregnancy with a sperm donor?
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Home insemination
A simple method using a sterile specimen cup and syringe.
Home insemination is extremely popular as it carries a low cost and high success rates.
Artificial insemination at a clinic
IUI or IVF with donor sperm.
The safest way to conceive with donor sperm however it is costly.
Natural insemination (NI)
Having sex with a stranger to become pregnant is not for everyone although there are a growing number of men and women finding a match.
Legalities for single women using a sperm donor
Conceiving through artificial insemination at a fertility clinic.
As you will be carrying the child, you will be the legal mother.
If the sperm is provided by an unknown donor then he will not be considered the father of the child.
If you use a known donor, providing they have signed the relevant consent forms provided by the clinic then he too will not be considered the legal father.
Any donor, not considered to be a legal parent, will have no legal rights to the child, they are not financially responsible for the child and will not appear on the child’s birth certificate.
IF USING AN UNKNOWN SPERM DONOR
When using donated sperm at a clinic, the clinic carry out all of the necessary paperwork to ensure that your sperm donor has no rights or responsibilities in relation to your child. However, any child conceived using sperm which was donated after 1 April 2005 has the right, upon attaining the age of 18 years, to find out identifying information about the donor, such as their name and address.
IF USING A KNOWN SPERM DONOR
If you use a known donor then of course you will already have information about the donor which you may choose to share with your child. If you do not then at 18 the child can seek identifying information about the donor as all the information is stored on the central register.
If you use a known sperm donor and wish to regulate and agree the role, if any, the donor is to have in the child’s life then it is advisable that you put in place a “Sperm Donor Agreement” or a “Co-Parenting Agreement” (please see below for further information).
HOME INSEMINATION
As you will be carrying the child, you will be the legal mother of the child.
When insemination takes place at home the donor is the legal father, regardless of whether the insemination was by artificial means or not. He will be financial responsible for the child and will also have rights to the child.
The donor will not automatically acquire parental responsibility as he would need to be named on the birth certificate to acquire this. However, he does still have rights even if he does not have parental responsibility.
If your donor is known to you it is important to regulate and agree the role, if any, the donor is to have in the child’s life. It is advisable that you put in place a “Sperm Donor Agreement” or a “Co-Parenting Agreement”