Not everyone is lucky enough to find the right partner in life. But what if you still want to have a child? If you're single and want to have a child, you don't have to give up. There are options, such as sperm donation, that can help you get pregnant.

What is sperm donation?

There are sperm banks and clinics that run their own sperm banks. Specially registered and tested donors can donate their sperm there. The sperm is then stored with the greatest possible care.

In principle, men between the ages of 18 and 40 are accepted as donors. Their fertility must be very high and their physical and mental health must be good. Donors are excluded if they have a family history of certain diseases such as epilepsy, asthma, heart disease, rheumatism or mental illness. Infectious diseases such as HIV or hepatitis are also checked in advance. Sperm donation begins with a sperm sample that is frozen using liquid nitrogen. It is then stored at the sperm bank. A follow-up examination takes place six months after the first donation. Only if all values and parameters are still perfect will the donation be released for further treatment.

If you want to have a child and want to use an anonymous or open sperm donor, depending on the country, you can still choose your eye and hair colour, as well as your height, weight, blood group and level of education.

Who can be considered for a sperm donation?

Depending on the country, you can request treatment if you are married or in a civil partnership. Depending on the country, you can also request treatment if you are single or in a same-sex partnership. Depending on the country, a notarised contract may also be required, setting out mutual financial responsibility.

The treatment (intrauterine insemination: IUI)

If you have chosen this treatment to try to have a baby, it will be carried out by a trained doctor. A catheter is used to introduce the sperm directly into the uterus. Hormone treatment and ovarian stimulation (mild to strong stimulation) may be used at the same time. You will also need to take certain medicines to induce ovulation. Sperm retrieval should take place no more than 36 hours after ovulation. To do this, the frozen sperm must be thawed. This is followed by special processing. The sperm transfer itself is not usually painful.

In vitro fertilisation

As an alternative to IUI, sperm can also be introduced by in vitro fertilisation (IVF with or without ICSI). In this method, the egg is first fertilised outside the body after being aspirated through the vagina. The egg and the man's sperm are brought together in a glass dish so that fertilisation can take place. Fertilisation causes the egg to divide and develop. After up to five days, up to three fertilised eggs may be transferred to the uterus. For IVF to be successful, both the uterus and ovaries must be healthy. In addition, menstruation must start regularly and ovulation must take place. The man's sperm must be sufficiently motile and of good quality to ensure successful fertilisation.

The advantages

Your chances of getting pregnant depend on a number of factors. Your age and state of health are the most important. The average success rate in Germany, Austria and Switzerland is between 15 and 25 per cent per attempt. If you are over 40, the success rate drops dramatically. If you have a history of fertility problems, artificial insemination will not work wonders either. However, unlike natural insemination, it is guaranteed that all the necessary parameters are present, so in principle the conditions are optimal. The live birth rate after IVF is lower because miscarriages can occur in the first trimester. On the positive side, you can certainly choose the main characteristics of your child in advance. In addition, extensive tests are carried out to rule out important diseases in advance. Of course, the biggest advantage of sperm donation is that you can have the child you want even if you don't have a partner.

The disadvantages

Many factors can be determined in advance, such as gender or hair colour. However, despite extensive donor screening, not all diseases can be ruled out. For example, there is still a residual risk of gene mutations developing, which can lead to physical or mental disabilities. Some clinics offer genetic testing of embryos to exclude this risk (not allowed in all countries).

Diseases may also develop during pregnancy or problems may arise during childbirth. The fact that sperm donation or fertilisation with hormones has to be initiated beforehand can lead to health risks. The treatment can also put a strain on your body. There is also a risk of developing something called 'overstimulation syndrome'. This is when your body reacts very strongly to the hormones, which can cause abdominal pain, tension, nausea or shortness of breath. If the symptoms are particularly severe, hospitalisation may be indicated. Fertilisation by donor sperm is more likely to result in multiple births than a traditional pregnancy. This naturally increases the physical strain. There is also an increased risk of preterm labour or premature birth.

In addition to the physical consequences of artificial insemination, there are also psychological and legal factors. Taking this step is not easy for most women and often leads to uncertainty and hesitation. The emotional impact will inevitably be felt by your child, who will eventually learn how he or she was conceived and will have to come to terms with this, which may have implications for his or her future. Many children develop a desire to know their father. In order to deal with this issue and its consequences, psychological counselling is usually recommended, and this should take place before sperm donation.

Legally, there are still grey areas. This can involve issues of maintenance or inheritance. The question of whether the donor needs to be 'outed' has not yet been resolved. Ultimately, the interests of the child and those of the donor have to be weighed against each other. To be on the safe side, a contract should be agreed and signed beforehand, in which the essential rights are clarified and recorded.

To sum up

Overall, the risks are no higher than for a 'normal' pregnancy. The pregnancy itself is exactly the same as a 'normal' insemination. The only difference is the origin of the sperm. This has been extensively tested against your partner's sperm so that certain risks can be ruled out. So if you want to have a child but don't have the right partner, insemination with someone else's sperm is a very good way of having your own child, even if you are single. In any case, you should think carefully about this decision, because you are choosing a new life and you will have to live with the consequences for the rest of your life.