Six questions you can be asked about using a sperm donor

Fertility treatments have revolutionized the medical industry since the first procedure in the 1800s. A lot has changed since then because technology has improved therefore more families have a chance to raise children. Many people have opted for treatments at fertility clinics although there’s still a huge number that have done it privately or illegally because of financial concerns. This is risky especially when both donors and recipients haven’t done any medical testing.

Before settling on a clinic that offers sperm donations and fertility treatments, you should do your research well. 

Find out if the place you’re planning to visit is reputable and look for any success stories. You’ll be more comfortable when dealing with qualified doctors rather than risk the possibility of procedures going wrong.

It may be your first time inquiring about it and you’re wondering what the procedure is like. Here is a guide on some of the questions you can expect to be asked at the clinic. 

Basic info 

It’s the clinic’s duty to screen all potential recipients that come in. They’ll want to know some basics details about you to gauge why you opted for insemination and for registration purposes. Some of the basic details they’ll require include your age and relationship status. Once they know these details about you, they might proceed or recommend some counselling sessions before anything else.

Medical history 

This is a key step because it will affect whether you qualify and what type of donation and procedure you can settle on. You’ll be asked if you’ve undergone other fertility treatments before, if you have any genetic illnesses that run in the family, if you’ve been diagnosed with Sexually Transmitted Infections or HIV and other important details. They will get more information when they start doing medical tests. 

Known or unknown donor

This will depend on the specific policies of the clinic you’re visiting. A known donor means choosing donations from someone you can contact while an unknown donor remains anonymous. Some clinics won’t have the options of an anonymous donor due to legal concerns. It’s better to have a known donor because the child will probably want to have a bond with their father.

What type of characteristics are you looking for

You can decide what you want your child to look like although sometimes the child might not look exactly how you wanted. Some women even decide that the only thing that’s important is that the child is healthy and that’s all. You’ll get details on the donor’s personality type, their IQ, blood type and other details.

The different fertilization procedures

You’ll be informed on the common treatments available whether it’s IUI (intrauterine insemination), IVF (in Vitro Fertilization) or IVI (intra-vaginal insemination). Most success rates are related to IUI treatments although your doctor will recommend the best suitable procedure for you.

Payment plans 

Your doctor will give you an estimation of what to expect and let you know the payment plans available. They can’t give a precise amount right away because it all depends on the lab tests, consultation costs, cost of the actual procedure, medication and additional bills that may come up. Everyone who goes for the treatment is different and the total amount varies.

In general though, it’s not cheap. They’ll give you room to select a payment plan among those they offer.

You also have a right to ask questions as a potential recipient. You have to confidently say what you need if you have any concerns about something that might have come up during your research. It should be more of a discussion between you and the doctors so that you don’t run into worrying scenarios when you’ve already started treatment.