Committed to breaking barriers and creating families

Every day at RSC we see patients who choose to use donor sperm to conceive. The reasons are varied. Some are single women about to embark upon the most important journey of their lives, and the one they feel they have no time to delay. Some are married couples and after years of struggling with infertility they have turned to the one choice they feel will allow them to finally be parents, and still allow the wife to carry a baby in her womb. And some are lesbian couples, who are being careful and thoughtful about the genetic traits their child may inherit and how to integrate this donor into their life story for their child.

No matter the circumstances, there are many questions that arise. Should I use a sperm bank, or a friend, or even a family member? What characteristics are important to look for in donor sperm? Do I want my child to be able to know about the donation? Should my child be able to contact the donor at some future point in time?

Many of these questions can be discussed with your physician at RSC. We can also refer our patients to a team of psychologists and social workers who are experts in this arena. Taking time on the front end to do your research and explore your emotions will serve you well in the long run. Our RSC Ethics Committee recently met to review some of the issues regarding anonymous and known sperm donation and made some recommendations to the practice.

These recommendations include encouraging all doctors to discuss the choice of disclosure of genetic origin with patients, and to advocate that patients seek psychological advice before using donor gametes.

There are also many books and websites that present views on choosing donor sperm. New research is surfacing every day that helps patients make better informed decisions.