Hi My name is April and I am a single woman looking to TTC in the next few months. I am going to be asking a gay friend of mine to see if he would be willing to help by donating semen. I am wondering how to go about with the TTC than.

1. How many times a cycle should he donate?
2. How long can the little guys live?
3. How would he collect it?
4. Should I have a legal document drawn up?

If he agrees to help me than I would be overwelmed. He is a great guy and would probably want to stay in the childs life which I think is great. Any tips for my journey you guys could give me would be great.

Thanks

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Hi April! Here are a few websites that can answer MOST if not all of your questions. FertilityPlus: At-Home Insemination Instructions
The Rainbow Babies :: At-Home Insemination for a Lesbian Couple

As for question #4 I would say it would be a good idea. I would try to find a lawyer that has experience in that sort of thing. You may want to ask arround. Check the gay yellow pages in your area. Dispite how great of friends you are now things can happen and you should protect yourself and him.

Good luck on your journey!!!

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Patty 37
DW Julie 40
"domestically partnered" since 1994

I can't really help with most of your questions since we've used donor sperm and a fertility clinic.

But, I can tell you that in Canada, you cannot give up legal rights to a child until the child is at least 30 days old.

I still recommend that you discuss things with a lawyer and draw up a legal contract regarding your intentions. But, you need to be aware that, if you have a known donor, you can't be certain what that donor's relationship with your child will be until the baby is at least a month old. (For us, this uncertainty was enough to finalize our decision on donor sperm.)