How to Get Pregnant Without a Man
It’s quite possible to get pregnant without a man, but it’s not possible to get pregnant without sperm. If you can find a source of sperm, you don’t need the man who produced it in order to get pregnant.
It's quite possible to get pregnant without a man, but it's not possible to get pregnant without sperm. If you can find a source of sperm, you don't need the man who produced it in order to get pregnant. It's actually fairly easy to find sperm; you can ask a male friend to donate some, or you can use a sperm bank, which has catalogs filled with descriptions of men who have donated sperm, including their IQ, education level, physical characteristics and willingness to be contacted by the child in the future.
Preparing for Insemination
Step 1
Find a fertility center. While picking out sperm is certainly more fun, your first step should be to locate a fertility center near you. While the turkey baster method of donor insemination has been used, your chances of pregnancy will be increased if you do an insemination in a fertility center, where they have experience with handling, freezing and processing sperm. A fertility center can split a sample so you can get another try out of it if the first attempt fails.
Step 2
Decide where your sperm is coming from. If you know someone who would make a great donor and who is willing to help you out, you're all set, as long as he understands the testing that will be required before a fertility clinic will agree to use his sperm. According to SpermBank Inc. of California, blood tests, semen analysis and storage fees for a known donor can run over $1,000.
Otherwise, you're going to need to contact a sperm bank, which will send you a catalog of available samples. Sometimes your fertility center will recommend a sperm bank that it has worked with before, but if not, the Internet is full of listings.
Step 3
Pick out a donor. Spend some time really considering what you want in a donor. While tall, dark, handsome, brilliant and psychologically sound is probably on everyone's wish list, it's hard to find that package in one donor. A vial of washed, ready to use (by the fertility clinic, not you) sperm will costs around $500, according to the SpermBank, but if you're looking for something special, like a Mensa member, expect to pay more. If you want to have the offspring of someone famous, expect to pay a lot more.
Insemination
Step 1
Consider taking fertility medication during your cycle to increase your chance of pregnancy on the first try. Fertility medication can make you produce more than one egg during this cycle.
Step 2
Monitor your cycle. Fertility clinics want to make sure you don't waste your sperm, so they want to inseminate when you're ovulating, according to the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago. Monitoring may involve blood tests and ultrasounds every few days to ensure that ovulation isn't missed or that a follicle is being produced.
Step 3
Undergo insemination. Insemination is done in the fertility center and takes just a few minutes. You lie on your back with a speculum inserted into the vagina. Sperm is placed in a catheter and inserted through the cervix into the uterus by a staff member. This may cause mild cramping but no pain, according to the Advanced Fertility Center.
Tip
Don't rush your decision when you're picking a donor; your choice will affect the rest of your life.
warning
If you use a known donor, make sure you're both on the same page as far as his future involvement and say in how the child is raised.