The path to parenthood looks different for single men and women. For males, it will involve seeking an egg donor and gestational carrier. Some men may know someone willing to donate their eggs (known donor) and carry the pregnancy (known carrier). Others will need to go through an egg donor agency and surrogate agency to secure these. In vitro fertilization (IVF) will be used to create an embryo with your sperm and the donor egg. Once an embryo is created, it is implanted into the gestational carrier’s uterus in hopes that it will grow into a viable pregnancy.
Women can pursue parenthood through intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. The first step with either is choosing a sperm donor obtained through a sperm bank.
IUI is usually the preferred treatment option since it is a less invasive procedure and less costly. We inject the sperm inside the woman’s uterus during an IUI to facilitate fertilization. If you are unsuccessful after numerous IUI attempts, you may need to move on to donor sperm with IVF.
IVF is a more involved process where we take the woman’s eggs and mix them with the man’s sperm in the lab to create embryos. The embryo is then transferred back into the female’s uterus and will hopefully develop into a viable pregnancy. If IVF is unsuccessful or the female is advanced maternal age, there are options of donor egg or donor embryo.
Fertility treatment can be expensive, and it is important to make sure you have taken into account the cost of treatment. Unfortunately, you cannot predict if you will be successful on your first attempt with fertility treatment. When planning for the cost of fertility treatment, it is good to anticipate needing more than one round of treatment. There are several ways to pay for fertility treatment, including loans and grants, so research your options. If you are seeking treatments in Michigan, visit the fertility treatment cost page or cost of IVF blog page.
Pursuing fertility treatment as a single parent by choice can be intimidating. However, our team at a RMA of Michigan, known as one of the premier fertility clinics in Michigan, is here to help guide you through the process. If you would like to schedule a consultation with RMA of Michigan, please contact our office at (248) 619-3100.
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