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Infertility & Options

Self-insemination

Using Self-insemination as a Private Conception Alternative

Andrea Evans*, 33, and her partner, Leslie Fielding*, 30, of San Jose, Calif., probably gave more consideration to the idea of having a baby than most couples. In addition to the usual questions they asked themselves about the commitment parenthood requires, they investigated other factors of childbearing that are important to gay and lesbian couples, such as custody issues and alternate conception techniques. In the end, they decided to try self-insemination using anonymous, frozen sperm from a sperm bank. Fielding is expecting their child in May.

After reviewing their options, self-insemination was a no-brainer for Evans and Fielding. "We were very interested in not medicalizing a process that should be very natural and personal," Evans says. "We have friends who had had a baby through self-insemination, so we knew it could be done easily and a bit more cheaply at home, but primarily we were just wanting to keep the process as a loving time between us. We talked a lot about not wanting an overly medicalized birth, so it seemed silly to go that route for the insemination."

Clinic vs. Home
Self-insemination is not limited to gays and lesbians. It's also an option for single women who want to have a child but don't have a male partner and for heterosexual couples who want to use donor sperm. Evans says that she viewed a fertility clinic not as a place to start, but as a place to go if their own efforts were unsuccessful.

This, according to Carol Frost, a fertility counselor in Stoneham, Mass., and author of Helping the Stork (John Wiley & Sons, 1997), is a good approach to the journey toward conception. "Self-insemination is a great way to get started," she says. "If low tech works, it's wonderful to have avoided the downside of high tech."


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BLUEJAI says
October 8, 2009

I find it wonderful,for the simple fact now a days their are so many young women and girls that had a husband or boyfriend and what happened they walked away and this is where every women has a choice to have a child and raise it by herself or how she would want to raise i find nutting wrong with it cause i'm thinking very closely about doing it my self cause i'm a lesbain and have a wonderful partnar and we want to start our family

anonymous says
July 27, 2009

I am HIV Positive my partner (Husband) is Negative, so we have consider self insemination. i say is the way to go for HIV Positive mothers.

anonymous says
May 21, 2009

To think that this has anything to do with selfishness is to have a misunderstanding of what it is like to want a child when you are part of the GLBT community. The child will know who his parents are...they will be the two women that raised him.

anonymous says
May 16, 2009

I find this idea of mixing sperm incredibly selfish. its to save the parents future legal battles but has no regard for the child, who has no hope of ever knowing their father, ever knowing of genetic diseases, ever knowing where they came from.
You may want a child and thats understandable, but go through the right channels at least so oneday this child can find their dad if they have the desire.

anonymous says
January 21, 2009

This option is also useful for couples who have difficulties with penetrative sex who are using their own sperm. I have this problem and it is hard that almost all the information on the internet is about donor sperm.

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