FCC Fertility Blog

The process of using donated sperm is somewhat shrouded in mystery. For example, some people incorrectly believe that any man can simply submit a sample at random in exchange for a quick buck. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, sperm donation is an extensive, precise process in which great care is taken to ensure that only high-quality sperm are obtained for implantation.

If you’re considering using a sperm donor to help build or grow your family, here are some things you may not realize:

Although third-party reproduction has become increasingly common in recent years, there’s still a lot of confusion—and sometimes even stigma—surrounding sperm donation.

Many couples and individuals seeking to work with a sperm donor to grow their families, as well as the men interested in helping them do so, remain unsure of how to talk about the process with others, or if they even should.

Below, we outline three simple tips to keep in mind to help improve the way we talk about sperm donation.

Fertility preservation refers to a set of treatment options that allow patients to have a child at a later point in time. These treatments generally involve the conservation of reproductive tissue, eggs, and sperm. There are many reasons why patients seek out fertility preservation treatments, including:

●  Being diagnosed with cancer. Many can cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can compromise fertility for both males and females.

The Fertility Center of California (FCC) has launched a new website dedicated to serving patients who visit our office in Tustin, California. We hope you’ll check out the new FCC Tustin website to learn about our services for growing LGBTQ families, insemination, our cryobank, male/female infertility, the donor sperm program, and more.

As egg freezing continues to rise in popularity among women, sperm freezing awareness and education seem to somewhat wane. In discussions about fertility, there remains a continued focus on the female partner, and this is understandable as age and fertility for women are closely related. However, age and fertility for men also have a correlation, but one that is simply less well-known.

Once you’ve made the decision to use sperm donation to build your family, it’s time to determine where your donor sperm will come from. You don’t necessarily want to choose the first sperm bank you come across or the closest facility to home.

When researching which sperm bank is right for you, these are some important factors that you’ll want to consider.

What Is the Sperm Bank’s History and Reputation?

When couples are made aware that there is a need to use a sperm donor to help grow their family, this transition can be emotionally wrought. It is difficult to change your mindset through the steps from wanting to have a child with one’s partner, to the partners struggling to conceive, to having a male infertility issue in which conception is not possible even with fertility care, to needing to use a sperm donor unless other family-building options such as adoption are under consideration.

Most people are aware that women have a biological clock. Beginning at age 35, women’s chances of getting pregnant decrease and the likelihood of birth defects increase. What many people don’t know is that infertility is just as common for men as it is for women.

Sperm freezing, also known as male fertility preservation, is steadily increasing in popularity. More than ever, men are considering their future family planning goals, and are doing so with the level of foresight that is often only limited to female partners.

For families looking to grow their family with the help of sperm donation, the process can seem daunting, even confusing.

Below are three important points to keep in mind when navigating sperm donation to ensure you have the smoothest, most stress-free experience possible.

1. Sperm donors must go through extensive screening.