How obtaining donor sperm in Canada works

For Canadians who are having difficulty conceiving, seeking out donor sperm is one potential pathway to a successful pregnancy. Here is a brief intro to the process and legal issues of obtaining donor sperm in Canada.

For anyone considering this route to pregnancy, it's important to know the law surrounding sperm donation in Canada.

• It is illegal in Canada to pay someone for donating sperm, which unfortunately has led to a shortage of donors from the Canadian populace. However, many Canadians working through a fertility clinic obtain donor sperm from outside the country, with many individuals and couples turning to the United States or Europe for the donor sperm they need.
• Laws surrounding donor sperm vary across the Canadian provinces. In general, clinics and doctors cannot release the identities of anonymous donors. Although you as the parent (or parents) are unable to learn the identity of an open-identity donor, your child may learn this information as long as the donor disclosed his identity.

If you want to use donor sperm, you will be required by the Public Health Agency of Canada to meet with a psychologist.

• The purpose of such a meeting is not to determine your suitability to be a parent, but instead to review some of the issues you might face during the donor sperm process.
• The psychologist will mainly discuss what impact the donor sperm process may have on your future child, help you make a decision about picking an anonymous donor or a donor whose identity is established, and provide tips on how to share this information with your child if you decide to do so.
• This involvement of a psychologist is designed to help you and your future child overcome any psychological obstacles that you may face down the road related to this process.

There are dozens of fertility clinics in Canada through which you can obtain information about sperm donors and select the donor you want.

• You will be provided with a medical history of the donor and other relevant information that can help you pick the right donor sample for you. To ensure that you receive a quality donor sample, donors are subjected to a thorough medical history, a detailed questionnaire, testing and sometimes even genetic screening.
• By paying extra, you can also gain access to photos of donors, essays they've written and other personal facts that can help you make a better decision.
• Once you have selected a donor, the fertility clinic will help you order vials, inform you how the insemination process will be performed and walk you through each step of the process.
• Costs can depend on the sperm donation service you're using and where you're getting the donor sperm from. Thankfully, the insemination process is usually covered by your public insurance, meaning that the process isn't nearly as costly as other fertility treatments.

Ultimately, finding a sperm donor can be a rewarding process that can help you meet your parenthood goals.