Some decades ago, inability to have a child was seen as a curse on the woman’s part. It was erroneously assumed that women who do not get pregnant in marriage were barren. In most cases, this might not be true as infertility may be linked to men too.
As a result of technological advancement, many women are beginning to have options when it comes to having children. With assisted reproductive technology, procedures such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) have been introduced to help couples deliver healthy babies.
In IVF, Donor Insemination (DI) is a fertility procedure in which frozen donor sperm is thawed and inserted into a person’s uterus directly around the time of ovulation, in order to achieve a pregnancy.
The donor sperm can be obtained from a known person or from a clinic-recruited one (unknown donor). Individuals and couples who are considering DI will have to determine which type of sperm donor is right for them.
What Kind of Couple Need Donor Insemination?
Couple with Extreme Male Infertility
Infertile couples facing severe male infertility called azoospermia or extremely low sperm count may consider donor sperm.
Male with Untreatable STI.
Some STIs are untreatable even with antibiotics. In order to avoid transmission of this STI to unborn kids, IVF can be considered through the use of a donor sperm. With a donor sperm, STI can be avoided at all cost.
Genetic Disease That May Be From The Male Genes
IVF-PGD is a method of screening for genetic diseases in semen. The male sperm is screened for genetic disorders such as cancer, down syndrome, etc. When any of these is detected, some couples may prefer to use a sperm donor in order to have healthy babies. In rare cases, couples that are Rh incompatible may consider donor sperm. This can usually be resolved with treatment, but if the female partner can’t have the Rhogam shot, due to an allergy, for example, a sperm donor may be another option.