Donor Sperm Process

The donor sperm process

Western Fertility Institute is here to assist in the donor sperm process, making it as easy and seamless as possible. Donor sperm is commonly needed by single women, same sex female couples or couples with severe male factor infertility. Whatever the reason, Western Fertility Institute believes that donors provide an amazing and generous gift to individuals or couples who dream of having a family.

There are a few steps to the donor sperm process, below is just a general outline of what to expect.

Step 1

Initial Consultation

Meet with the physician for an initial consultation to review options, including the detailed process of matching with a donor, legal implications, insurance details, and basic medical information.

Step 2

Donor Sperm Matching

After your initial consultation, donor sperm should have been chosen with the assistance of your agency. Should you need anonymous donor sperm, Western Fertility Institute is here to guide you in the process of finding reputable anonymous donor sperm agencies who we feel are more than qualified and will help to make your journey of building a family a positive experience.

Step 3

Legal Contracts

Western Fertility Institute or your agency will help you find an attorney. Your attorney will coordinate the finalization of all legal documentation and contracts.

Step 4

Testing

After the quarantine period has passed (for known donor sperm), the sperm will be thawed and analyzed in our andrology lab.

Step 5

Medications

After the donor sperm has been analyzed, the intended mother will undergo testing and begin taking hormones and prepare for either IUI or IVF.

Step 6

Pregnancy & Delivery!

The team at Western Fertility Institute understands that this process may seem intimidating, we are here to guide you and help make this process easier and less overwhelming. We are here to provide you with the tools needed to have a clear path to follow so that you have the confidence that your needs and concerns are being met each and every step of the way.

Should you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact our office anytime.

Have Questions

If you have questions about third-party reproduction, as well as gestational surrogacy in California, give a team member a call at 888-261-4574 or contact our center today!

What is Sex Selection?

It is common for many patients to be curious about the ability to choose the sex of their baby. This is known as Sex Selection (also commonly referred to as Gender Selection). Through genetic testing, this is possible for our patients undergoing IVF at Western Fertility Institute. A By-product of the genetic testing performed on the embryos called PGT-A allows for differentiation between male and female embryos since the sex of each embryo is identifiable by their chromosomes.

How does Sex Selection Work?

Sex selection through Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT_A) testing allows patients to select the sex of their embryos with almost 100% accuracy. Our highly skilled embryologists will biopsy a single cell from the embryo and send it to a third-party laboratory for PGT-A testing. The PGT-A results will show if each embryo has the proper number of chromosomes as well as the prospective of sex. Embryos containing two X chromosomes are female, while male embryos will contain one X and one Y chromosome. This allows the patient to choose a PGT-A embryo of a desired sex for transfer.

Why Do People Use Sex Selection?

Patients choose to use sex selection as an option for multiple reasons. In some cases, it can be used for medical reasons. Sex selection allows for the prevention of sex-linked genetic diseases and chromosomal disorders. For instance, there are certain disorders, linked to the X or Y chromosomes, that have the potential to be passed on to only a son or only a daughter. In other cases, sex selection can be used for what is known as "family balancing". Family balancing is when the patient chooses a specific sex in order to fulfill their desire of a balanced family. This can include choosing a sex based on a previously lost child, because they feel better equipped to raise a specific sex, or they want representation of both sexes in their family.