Seattle Sperm Bank is your trusted partner and resource when it comes to donor sperm. We are here every step of the way as your journey into parenthood. Explore our blog for topics from preconception to conception with donor sperm.
Tips and Tricks To Find The Right Sperm Donor
Congratulations! You’re taking your first steps to parenthood. Whether you always knew you would need a donor, or it just became part of your journey, we understand it can feel overwhelming. Parenthood with donor sperm can mean you are doing this with or without a partner, but we are here to be by your side every step of the way. To help you get started, we’ve put together some inside tips and tricks that we have learned for finding your perfect donor! Start With A List Making a list of...
Unvaccinated Vs. Vaccinated Donor Sperm
When looking for donor sperm there are numerous characteristics to keep in mind, and on the top of the list is quality and health. The recent Covid pandemic and Covid vaccinations may leave you wondering about unvaxxed sperm versus vaccinated sperm. Where does the data stand today? At Seattle Sperm Bank we keep a close eye on the latest information regarding donor sperm regulations and requirements. We know that active Covid infections can be detrimental to overall health, which is important...
Natural Ways To Increase Fertility
Trying to conceive can be an overwhelming task, but you are not alone! We are sharing some of our top recommendations from within the industry to help put an action plan together for yourself and improve your chances of pregnancy. Tracking Your Ovulation If you’re not already doing this, grabbing an ovulation prediction kit is a great place to start! Understanding your own cycle is a key factor when trying to conceive. The goal is to identify when you’re most fertile, known most commonly as...
We Tried It! At-Home Tests for Tracking Fertility
When trying to conceive (or TTC), there can be an overwhelming amount of information to take in. A great place to start is to better understand your best days for conceiving with ovulation predictor kits (OPK). And pregnancy tests are also great to have on hand! OPKs work by testing amounts of luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen, or a combination of both. Both hormones fluctuate during the month and an increase is an indicator of pending ovulation. Pregnancy tests look for human chorionic...
Tips for Tracking Ovulation
When trying to conceive, understanding your ovulation cycle can be an important first step. Unless you have a known infertility issue, this awareness can help increase your chance of getting pregnant in less time. Whatever method you use to track your fertility, each is designed to tell you the days when you’re most fertile, and therefore, the best days to attempt insemination. This is known as your “fertility window,” which includes the five days leading up to ovulation, when you have the...
Fertility Questions to Ask Your Gynecologist
Whether you are currently trying to conceive, or pregnancy is part of your long-term plan, there are many good reasons to talk about fertility with your gynecologist or health care provider. If this sparks some anxiety, you’re not alone. Many women are reluctant to talk about certain sensitive issues with a doctor. But having this conversation can be an important part of a healthy pregnancy. If you do decide to make an appointment, we suggest you mention it ahead of time so your care provider...
Do Fertility Treatments Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer?
The results of a recently released meta-analysis found no links between fertility treatments and breast cancer. These findings were published online in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility on June 21, 2021. A meta-analysis is a type of study that combines and analyzes the results of various earlier studies. In this case, the researchers reviewed 20 studies focused on whether drugs that stimulate the ovaries to release eggs also increased the risk of breast cancer. The patients studied...
Why are Donor Samples Held in Quarantine for Six Months?
Our sperm donors are well screened and tested for infectious diseases before entering our program and continue to be tested on a regular basis while actively donating. Specifically, we are screening donors for Zika, hepatitis B/C, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, HTLV I/II, and West Nile virus, among other diseases. In addition, we perform overall health screenings on donors that include physicals, complete blood counts, and metabolic panels. With so many precautions in place to ensure we...
Using a Sperm Donor You Know: Comparing Directed Donors, Known Donors, and Personal Sperm Storage
Along with providing anonymous donor sperm to individuals looking to conceive a child, Seattle Sperm Bank also provides personal storage of donor sperm for directed donors, known donors, and those storing sperm for personal use in the future by a sexually intimate partner. Here is a comparison of each of these donor types. A directed donor is an individual who stores sperm for a chosen recipient who is a friend, acquaintance, or surrogate, but not a sexually intimate partner. We encourage...
How Common Cleaning Products Can Affect Fertility
We use so many cleansers and similar products around the home it can be easy to overlook their potential negative effects. While many of them contain chemicals that won’t cause harm at low levels of exposure, there are some everyday products that may damage your fertility. These are known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and include such widely used compounds as Bisphenol A, phthalates, and parabens. Research shows EDCs can affect both male and female reproductive health, which can...
