Using a Sperm Donor

It can be hard for a man to accept that his partner will become pregnant using the sperm of another man, but there are many advantages to using a sperm donor at a licensed fertility clinic.

The identity of the sperm donor is withheld - the donor will never know that he has fathered the child in question unless the child decides when he or she turns 18 to enquire as to the identity of his or her biological father.

The donor will have no rights to, or legal or financial responsibilities for your child. Sperm donations used in reputable fertility clinics have been screened for any harmful infections (such as HIV, Hep C or B) or hereditary genetic disorders, so you know that the sperm you receive is safe.

Depending on the policy of your fertility clinic, you can learn certain details about the physical characteristics of your sperm donor. It's therefore theoretically possible to choose sperm from someone who has the same skin, eye or hair color as you.

ICSI

The procedure mentioned above, whereby a very small number of Klinefelter men have become biological Dads, is called ICSI. This stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. It's a process that involves injecting a sperm cell directly into an egg cell that has been retrieved from a woman's ovaries during IVF treatment. This greatly increases the chances of successful fertilization.

It can be nearly impossible, unfortunately, to find sperm cells suitable for ICSI in a semen sample from a Klinefelter man. Therefore a TESE (testicular sperm extraction) procedure is required.

TESE is essentially a biopsy on the testicles performed under local anesthetic. The surgeon makes a small cut in the scrotum, and then uses a needle to extraction a tiny amount of testicular tissue. Sperm cells are then extracted from this tissue and, if they are living and healthy enough, they're used for ICSI fertilization.

Table of Contents
1. Klinefelter Treatment
2. The ICSI option
 
 
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