Go Through an Artificial Insemination if You Are Single or Lesbian
If you don't have a male partner, but still want a baby, artificial insemination may be something for you. Artificial insemination is the process where sperm is placed in the woman's uterus in order to create an impregnation.
Steps
- Reflect. Is this what you want to do? Are there other ways, like adoption, that fit you better? Are you ready to be a parent? Becoming a parent is a big transposition. Children can be tiresome, but at the same time so adorable and wonderful. Are you ready to do what it takes to be a mother? Can you afford a child?[1],
- You don't have to make your mind yet. Read about artificial insemination on the Internet or in books to find out more about the whole process.
- Find a clinic that goes through artificial insemination with single or lesbian women. Not all clinics inseminate single women.
- Contact the clinic and book a conversation (usually costs 90 dollars) where you can talk to a person about the insemination and what it'll be like for the child not to have a father etc. This conversation can be on phone or face to face.
- Find out if you can afford artificial insemination. One insemination often costs about 300 to 700 dollars (if you live in the United States) and you may need to be inseminated 4 times or more to get pregnant.
- Go to your Get the Courage to See a Doctor or gynecologist. Ask the doctor to test if you have Get Tested for Chlamydia, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and Get Tested for HIV. Also take a blood test to see if you are immune to rubella. If you are infected by rubella during your pregnancy, the child can get severe malformations and disabilities. If you are not immune to rubella, you can vaccinate yourself before the insemination. If you have a cat or often meet cats, it can be a good idea to talk to your doctor about a test for toxoplasmosis.
- If you have, or have had, physical or mental disabilities or any kind of addiction you should consult with your doctor. The certificate from the doctor shall discuss your current circumstance of life and not the disability or illness in general.
- Let a gynecologist give you a physical to see what chances you have to get pregnant. That is done by using ultrasound imaging and eventual blood tests. The ultrasound imaging shows if your womb and ovaries look normal. The blood tests show the hormone levels in your body.
- Have you ever had an infection in your womb or fallopian tubes? Or have you had chlamydia or gonorrhea before? Then you should do an X-ray examination in order to see if you have passage through the fallopian tubes. Talk with your gynecologist about this examination.
- Write down the latest six months menstruation intervals. Use your calendar. You count from the first day the menstruation starts (=day 1) up until the last day before the next menstruation starts. How many days you bleed doesn't matter in this context.
- Know that your chance to become pregnant - if you are younger than 35 years old and in your natural cycle - is about 25% in one insemination. That means it will, on an average, take 3-4 inseminations before you are pregnant. If you are 35-40 year old you need, on an average, 6 inseminations, and 11 inseminations if you are older than 40. The risk for miscarriage is the same as in every other way to become pregnant. The risk is 19% if you are younger than 35, and sadly 44% if you are older than 40. If you are older than 45, the chance to become pregnant and give birth to a healthy child is endlessly small.
- You should stop or decrease your input of coffee, cigarettes and alcohol. Furthermore, eat healthy! This will increase your chance to get pregnant.
- Decide when you want to go through the insemination. It has to be during your ovulation. You can talk about this with your clinic.
- Go to the clinic to get inseminated. The insemination is painless and lasts for 5-10 minutes. A doctor or accoucheuse will insert sperm in your vagina or uterus with a catheter or needle-less syringe. After the insemination you may get allowed to rest for 30 minutes or so. You may get a pregnancy test from the clinic.
- The clinic will tell you when to test if you are pregnant. Go home again, and after a certain period of time, use the pregnancy test. If you are pregnant - congratulations! But it's more likely that you need some more inseminations before you are pregnant, so be prepared.
- Book a new insemination time if you didn't get pregnant. Hope for the best and don't give up!
Warnings
- Some people may not like the fact that single women or lesbians get kids. Be strong and don't let them make you feel bad about your decision.
Things You'll Need
- Female Biological Sex
- Money
- Medical tests
