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Becoming a parent is a beautiful choice that should be celebrated. Some still look at the ‘nuclear family’ concept and assume that two healthy adults are necessary to raise a family. This is simply untrue. Here at Hatch, we believe that anyone that is willing to have children should be given the opportunity. Whether you are gay, straight, non-binary, married, or single, everyone should be given the chance to have a family of their own, however, they imagine it for themselves.
This article will focus on the single parent: how you as a single individual may still have children of your own. This is aimed toward both sexes, male and female, and will cover the requirements needed to achieve your goal of becoming a parent, regardless of your relationship status.
Many single men and women choose to become parents without a partner or significant other. The goal of single parenthood can be achieved with the help of fertility treatment options. If a woman would like to become a single parent, she may pursue pregnancy through intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) using donor sperm. If a man would like to become a single parent, he must use donated eggs (egg donor) and a gestational carrier (surrogate).
Single motherhood by choice provides a powerful option for family building. You have full control over your reproduction and family-building plans. Most commonly, women select donor sperm from a sperm bank, or may also find a sperm donor elsewhere too. Sperm banks are helpful because women can choose donors based on genetic conditions, physical appearance, ethnicity, educational background, family history, personality profiles, and hobbies.
Choosing a sperm donor is a very personal decision. The primary goal is to have a healthy baby, so genetic compatibility with a donor to avoid potentially major issues is essential. A genetic carrier screening for both you and the potential sperm donor is needed to ensure that you do not carry any of the same recessive genetic conditions that could lead to disease in your offspring.
Once you have chosen the sperm source it is important to consider which fertility treatment is right for you. To better understand which treatment path is best for you, you should talk to your IVF physician about your age and ideal family size.
The two primary treatment options are intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). In IUI, the donor sperm is placed directly into your uterus by your IVF physician around ovulation time when chances for conception are highest.
In IVF, hormonal injections are administered in order to stimulate multiple eggs to maturity, then they are retrieved from your ovaries through a vaginal procedure. The eggs will then be fertilized with the sperm samples at a laboratory, where the fertilized embryos are then grown in specialized incubators. After about 5-7 days the higher-quality embryos can be biopsied and tested for chromosomal abnormalities; transferring normal/healthy embryo(s) often leads to the best chance of success for implantation and healthy live birth.
There are many reasons that an egg donor may be needed, common reasons including age-related infertility, low Ovarian reserves, and premature ovarian failure. Although these issues may add additional challenges, they will not prevent a woman from becoming a parent. You can choose to use an egg donor. Using an egg donor for an IVF cycle yields a higher rate of success. By finding a healthy egg donor with good egg quality, we frequently see better results for birth rates. Finding the right egg donor takes time and careful consideration. Hatch has over 30 years of experience, our expert staff will help you find the perfect egg donor match and guide you through the whole process.
If you are medically unable to carry a pregnancy, using a surrogate will help you achieve the dream of parenthood. At Hatch, your surrogacy coordinator will work closely with you to understand your wants and needs so we can recommend the most compatible surrogate matches. A surrogate will go through a comprehensive medical screening at your IVF physician’s office in order to be medically cleared to proceed to surrogacy. We will also connect you with an attorney that specializes in reproductive law to initiate the legal contract. At Hatch, we have an extensive and exceptional history with the success of our matches between our surrogates and intended parents. Our team consists of experienced surrogates as well, they are very familiar with the process and will make sure your surrogacy journey goes smoothly.
Single men can also achieve their dreams of becoming a parent with the help of an egg donor and a surrogate. If you want to become a single father without adopting, you will first need to find an egg donor. When selecting an egg donor, you will learn from our database about the egg donor’s medical history, and physical appearance including photos, personality traits, educational achievements, and hobbies. The egg donor and you will both go through comprehensive genetic carrier screening to make sure that you are genetically compatible.
Using a surrogate gives you a chance to be a parent of your own biological child, a surrogate carries an embryo created from donor eggs and your own sperm. Donor eggs that are obtained through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) are fertilized with your sperm samples. The fertilized embryos will go through preimplantation genetic screening (PGT-A) when they reach the blastocyst embryo stage. An embryo with a normal chromosome count is then transferred into the surrogate’s uterus through the frozen embryo transfer procedure.
When becoming a single parent by choice, it is natural to feel exhausted when you are the sole person taking care of your child. As a single parent, you need a strong support system. Your family and friends are a great start but finding support in parenting groups can also be a big help. Finding a community of other single parents can gain support from those going through similar experiences that your friends and family may not understand the same.
The journey to single parenthood can require significant financial, emotional, and time investment. At Hatch, we can provide financial guidance and recommendations for counselors and legal professionals who specialize in assisting individuals who would like to become single parents. Our team is here to help you through your fertility journey toward becoming a single parent by choice. We support you on this journey and offer egg donor and surrogate packages to provide more affordable options.
The choice to become a single parent is not an easy one, but it is a powerful and beautiful option to grow your family. For more information on how to start your journey, book a consultation today.
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