Choosing a Donor

Photo of a lesbian couple, one an Asian woman wearing an orange sweater holding up a yellow printed onesie, and her partner a pregnant Black woman with curly shoulder length hair, white robe.

A Decision to Remember

Choosing a donor is one of the biggest decisions of your life. Not only are you bringing a child into this world, but you are also deciding on your offspring’s genetic health and predisposition. You will remember this decision for the rest of your life, and someday, you may even tell your child how you went through the process of picking out the donor.

Where to Go

When it comes to finding a suitable donor, you have options. As you might imagine, we’ve dealt with several organizations that offer donor information, and over the years, we’ve found a few that seem to stand out from the rest. Ask us at your next appointment, and we’ll be happy to steer you in the right direction.

How to Choose

So how do you choose a donor? There is no one correct way of choosing. The process of picking a donor is a highly personal one that you and your spouse will make together. However, this is not to say that there are no guidelines to help you make the best decision for your unique case.

Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility offers invaluable advice regarding donor eggs and donor sperm and how to choose the best option.

The ‘perfect donor’ doesn’t exist. It’s perfectly understandable that you want the very best for your would-be child. However, keep in mind that there is no donating male or female out there who will match each and every criterion you create. Focus on the most important aspects of evaluating donors.

Does the donor look like you? If you want your child to resemble you, then do your best to find a donor who resembles you, and you’ll have a better chance of having a child who also looks like you.

Consider the physical appearance of the donor’s family. Find out if the donor’s appearance is unique or common in her family. For example, are they tall in an otherwise short family…or are they blonde while their siblings are brunettes?

Match or complement your personality. If you like sports and want your child to be athletically inclined, you might want to choose an athletic donor so your child inherits that athletic physicality.

Examine the donor’s medical history. This is especially important if your partner has a history of genetic disease in their family. If they do, you should also choose a donor who does not have that condition in their family.

Higher education does not equal greater intelligence. By the same token, a lack of higher education doesn’t indicate an intellectual shortcoming in the donor. Many factors besides IQ determine whether a donor attended college and what their level of professional success might have been. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should disregard the information available. We suggest you not weigh your decision too heavily on the donor’s stated IQ.

Read their personal statements. These can simplify your job of choosing one donor from your shortlist of candidates. The donor’s spirit and personality will reflect in these statements, one of which might connect with you more than another.

View Donors:

To view our current donors please go to: www.fertilityselection.com and use the login information listed below. As a courtesy to other patients, please do not leave your preferences selected on the website as it is viewable by all patients.

username: gelety  / password: donors

Call Us Today

Please feel free to call or visit us. We will be glad to discuss your case in detail, listen to what you have to say and help you discover the most suitable solution for getting pregnant. Set an appointment today, reach us at 520-326-0001.