Pride Angel

TV show ‘This Morning’ recently discussed women turning to sex with sperm donors in order to have a baby. Sally Windsor joined Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on the sofa on Thursday and said more and more women are turning to websites where men offer natural insemination, as they believe they have a better chance of conceiving.

Sally explained that she herself once considered using the websites as she wanted to have a baby. She said: "As woman we can do this if we want to, there's no more of this idea of sitting back and waiting to become parents - that's a little bit archaic.

"We can take things into our own hands. If a woman wants to become a mother and they haven't met the right person, there's no sitting around feeling sorry for themselves.

‘Sperm banks are inaccessible and these are the lengths women are going to.’ said Sally Windsor

Also joining in on the debate was Kelly Rose Bradford who argued that women should never resort to sperm donor websites, as it's not fair on the child.

"(The websites are) bringing conceptions and starting a family down to scouring the internet for sperm," she said. Kelly Rose also highlighted the safety risks involved in using the sperm donor websites.

"I would question why these men are offering these services, it's almost like it's just some kind of sexual gratification for them." "It's very different to have a plan in place and go into this situation which could potentially put your health at risk, could potentially put your life at risk, because you don't know who you are meeting."

Erika co-founder of Pride Angel says "Women should not go down the route of natural insemination as a method of conception. If a donor is pushing this form of conception then his motives for creating a child are not the right ones."

"A minority of donors may suggest this form of conceiving over home insemination, saying that it is more effective than artificial insemination. However this is simply not true, home insemination performed correctly at the right times of the month, is just as effective and sometimes more effective for achieving pregnancy."

Pride Angel is the only sperm donor website which screens all profiles and does not allow sperm donors to offer natural insemination or request payment for sperm. Erika said "The majority of our donors genuinely want to help someone create a new life for all the right reasons."

Article: 2nd May 2013 www.u.tv

Looking for a sperm donor or co-parent? Register for free at www.prideangel.com

Recent articles in the news have highlighted the downsides of using unregulated sperm donor websites, portraying them as placing vulnerable women at risk. Is this really the case or is sperm donation online providing a much needed service, which is not being met by fertility clinics alone? Often highlighted are the occasions when male donors try to abuse the system by requesting payments or offering natural insemination (in other words sex) as the best method of conception.

Unfortunately some online forums seem to be dominated by donors chatting to each other and boasting about the number of children they have conceived. There is certainly a downside, which individuals must be aware of when trying to find a known donor. Finding a known donor or co-parent can be like trying to meet a lifelong partner - unfortunately along the journey you may have to encounter men or women which are not likeminded and who you do not connect with, before eventually finding the right one.

This said, despite the media's negative tilt, the option of using a known donor has many upsides, which is why it is becoming such a popular option for many single, gay or infertile couples. So what are the advantages? The obvious one may be cost, with IVF funding being cut by so many regions throughout the UK, many single people or couples may simply not be able to afford fertility treatment through a clinic. However after speaking with Erika the co-founder of Pride Angel, a leading parenting connection website, she believes that this is not the main reason people go down the online sperm donor route.

Erika says ‘Many women choose a connection service, because they want more information about the donor than they receive at a clinic’, ‘They want to understand their personality and mannerisms, after all the donor is going to make up 50% of the child’s genes’. ‘Many single women and lesbian couples, also wish for their child to know of their donor, they want to maintain contact, be it occasional or on a regular basis’ ‘The important factor is educating people about any potential risks and providing the necessary support and guidance regarding health risks and legal rights’.

An article in the Telegraph today wrote‘These unregulated sites are so popular that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) last week announced plans to increase payments made to sperm and egg donors in the hope that this will increase the number of regulated donations’ Connection websites are not obliged to be regulated in any way, unless they are involving themselves in the procurement of gametes. Websites which act purely as connection services put the responsibility, rightly so, on the users to make their own informed decision regarding whether they choose to take their donor to a clinic for treatment or undertake artificial insemination following suitable health screening checks by their GP.

There are dozens of websites providing a donor connection service, however many of these websites do not monitor their donors or control the numbers of connections between donors and recipients. This is why when choosing a website it is important to use one who is being responsible. Speaking with Erika from Pride Angel, she said ‘We are one of the only connection services worldwide who constantly monitor profiles and we suspend any users who are not meeting our criteria’. ‘No mention of natural insemination, payments, shipping of sperm or anonymous donation is allowed. Any users which break this ‘code of conduct’ are suspended.’ ‘Pride Angel also uses a limited message credit system which means, that not only can donors only contact a limited number of recipients, but is also means that donors are more likely to be genuine’.

There have also been many stories in the news recently from donor-conceived children, about their search to find their origins. For some it may be a happy ending, but for many more it is not. With the change in the anonymity law in 2005, we will not be able to see the effects of children wishing to meet their donors, conceived through fertility clinics until 2023. What will be the effect of these reunions? Will there be the issue of rejection by donors or even the devastating possibility of genetic attraction, which has already been estimated to occur in 50% of cases between adopted children and their biological parents or siblings? Genetic attraction tends to only occur when there has not been any previous contact throughout a child’s upbringing with their donor or sibling and does not occur between known donors and their biological children.

Many women are also now considering finding their own egg donor through a donor website, especially when there are such long waiting times for egg donors within the UK, Some recipients wish to meet the donor to find out more about them, and likewise egg donors feel happier donating to a women or couple who they believe will provide a happy environment for their donor offspring. Speaking with one egg donor, they said ‘I was able to select the family to who my eggs were donated to, we had several meetings and together we decided that they would like to tell their child from a young age. I agreed that they are welcome to come round anytime. Their child is now 5 and I have met him 6 times in total. Although genetically he is my child I will never be his mother nor would I ever want that position, I simply helped a wonderful couple become a family.’

A donor conceived child said ‘I know where my genetic mother is and can visit her if I would like to, but my real mother is the mum that brought me up'. Another donor-conceived child said ‘I know who my dad is, even if I only see him occasionally, that means I am no different to any of my friends at school'.

‘Pride Angel receives numerous thank you messages from recipients who have eventually found the right donor and from men who have been able to become parents themselves through co-parenting arrangements’

Surely a solution is for women to be able to use known donors, even if they are found through website connection services, so they can pass on more information to their children about their origins. After all, it is the children’s welfare which is of paramount importance.

Article: 25th October 2011 www.prideangel.com

Register for free as a sperm donor, egg donor, co-parent or recipient at Pride Angel

Co-founders of Pride Angel Erika and Karen are enthusiastic about sharing their experience and knowledge through seminars, talks and workshops across the UK.

Their next talk will take place within the L Group families’ workshop:

Titled:
Co-parenting and using a known donor
Ever considering co-parenting or finding a known donor to conceive? How will the anonymity law affect any future children? Find out more about the practicalities, finding a donor through a website, legal considerations and treatment options available.

Talk: Co-parenting and using a known donor

Date: Sunday 3rd July

Time: 11.00 -13.00

Venue: London Friend, 86 Caledonian Road, King’s Cross, London, N1 9DN.

You can reach London Friend by:
Rail: King's Cross or St Pancras Station. Tube: King's Cross/St Pancras. Buses: 10, 17, 30, 45, 91, 93, 73, 205, 259 or 390.

If you are organising an exhibition, run a charity or support group and would like Pride Angel to give a talk at one of your seminars or workshops, please contact us at info@prideangel.com for further information. Read more about our Pride Angel Seminars.

Or if you are interested in finding out about a future talk in your area please Contact us. The more requests we get for a specific area, the sooner we will arrange a talk in that location of the UK, so please get in touch.

Visit L Group families the organisation supporting lesbian parents and lesbians wanting to become parents.

For more about lesbian and gay parenting, co-parenting and using a known donor visit www.prideangel.com

Sperm donors in Canada are not willing to give their sperm away for free, a report states.

Since the Supreme Court of Canada banned the commercial trade in human sperm and eggs in 2004, sperm donations in this country have plummeted, suggests a new report released by Assisted Human Reproduction Canada.

And with rising number of lesbian couples and single women seeking to start families - as well as the 10% or so heterosexual couples who experience infertility - Canadian sperm banks are experiencing a severe supply-and-demand problem that’s only going to get worse, the report concludes. Yet patient demand for sperm is at 5,500, according to the report.

Currently, Canadians are getting 90% of their sperm from paid donors in the U.S. and Europe. Canada hasn’t banned the import of human sperm and eggs from for-profit sperm banks in other countries.

“The evidence-based standard model analysis suggests that there is a large gap between the numbers of altruistic sperm donors available and the demand for donor insemination,” the report reads.

While allowing sperm banks to dole out cash for sperm would be the most efficient way to close the gap, the report suggests an altruistic sperm-donation system could be workable if Canada launches an awareness campaign to increase donation.

“There were a variety of methods used in other jurisdictions that attempted to increase the number of sperm donors,” the report reads.

The report suggests asking couples seeking donor insemination to spread the word about the need for sperm donations, and asking vasectomy patients if they would consider donating sperm before their procedures.

Another idea the report floated around was mirror gamete donation, where the partner lacking the usable gamete would donate in exchange for the gametes they need. For example, men could donate sperm in exchange for oocytes (egg cells), and women could donate oocytes in exchange for sperm.

Finally, the report suggests Canada launch a media campaign promoting sperm donation.

“Under ideal conditions used in the best-case analysis, an altruistic sperm donation program could be achieved,” the report reads. “However, considerable effort would have to be made to create a significant increase in the awareness of the program and change in societal behaviour towards sperm donation.”

The report has been subject to some controversy, as its lead author, Dr. Edward Hughes, has spoken publicly against the Supreme Court’s ban on paid-sperm in the past.

Article: www.torontosun.com 2nd March 2011

Looking for a free sperm donor in Canada? or willing to donate? visit www.prideangel.com