Do you want a child that looks like you and your partner? Do you want your child to have genetic siblings? Is the donor’s medical history important?
BY CRYOS INTERNATIONAL
Cryos International is the world’s largest sperm bank and has more than 30 years of experience. Over the years we have learned a lot about the important questions to ask yourself before choosing a sperm donor.
We hope the following questions can help you with your decision…
👶🏻 Do you want a child that looks like you and/or your partner?
Before you decide on a sperm donor, you have to consider how important it is to you that your child has the same physical characteristics as you and/or your partner. For many this is an important factor when choosing a sperm donor.
👶🏼 Do you want childhood photos of the donor?
At Cryos you can choose to see childhood photos of the donor if you choose a donor with an extended profile. The photos can be a great peek into what your donor’s real physical appearance shapes up to be and what ½ of your child’s DNA could resemble.
👶🏽 How important is the donor’s interests, education and values for your decision?
Some interests or talents may be linked to genetics, but we do not know that for sure, as there is very little information on this. You need to think about these characteristics as indicators of the donor’s intellect, ambition, competences and skills. What is important to you and what would fit with you and you partner as a family.
👶🏾 Do you want an EQ profile on your donor?
At Cryos the donors with an extended profile get an EQ test done. The Emotional Intelligence test assesses the ability to perceive, understand and manage the donor’s own emotions and those of others. If this test is important for you to know the result of, you need to choose a sperm donor from Cryos with an extended profile.
👶🏿 Do you want to hear the donor’s voice?
We are often told that the voice is important as you get a better sense of who the donor is and that sometimes makes the choice easier – especially if the donor has a sympathetic and calming voice. If you want to hear the donor’s voice, you need to choose a sperm donor from Cryos with an extended profile.
👶🏻 Is the donor’s medical history important?
All Cryos’ donors undergo rigorous selection criteria and thorough medical examinations prior to acceptance to become a donor. If you want to know even more about the donors’ medical history, you can see the medical history of the donors’ closest relatives in the extended profile. Here you can also get an indication of what kind of family the donor comes from.
👶🏼 Do you want free access to the donors’ profiles?
With many sperm banks you must pay a fee to get information about the donors. With Cryos this is free of charge. You have free access to the donor search, where you can learn everything about the donor. And you only need to register first.
👶🏽 Should it be possible for your child to get identifying information about the donor?
Your personal situation and your child’s future both affect whether you choose a donor who is willing to be contacted or not. If you choose an ID Release Donor your child will have the opportunity of getting identifying information about the donor from Cryos, when he or she turns 18.
Some people are comfortable with the fact that the child can contact the donor and encourage this, while others prefer to have no contact with an unknown person and his extended family. This is a very personal choice.
👶🏾 Is it important for you to talk with like-minded people before making your decision?
Choosing a sperm donor is a big decision and for a lot of people it can be a great help to talk with others who are also trying to find a sperm donor or with people who have been through the whole process and want to share their experience. To help people get in touch Cryos has created an online community where you can talk with like-minded people. Visit the Facebook Group, Family Dreams, here.
👶🏿 Do you want your child to have genetic siblings?
If you think you may want to have more than one child from the same donor, you need to choose a sperm donor with enough in stock. At Cryos you can reserve the sperm for later use and for siblings. It is a good idea to reserve the sperm to make sure that the chosen donor is not sold out when you decide to get pregnant.
We hope that the guide above helped you get answers to some of your questions. If you have any other questions you are welcome to contact Cryos at: +45 8676 0699 or dk@cryosinternational.com
