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Denmark sperm donation here come the viking dads
Jessica McCallin wanted to have children at some stage (before it was too late), but never managed to find the right person and relationship.At the age of 32 she decided she would have a child by the time she was 35. She was aware of the statistics that showed fertility dropped rapidly once a woman reached 40.
Jessica considered fostering and adoption, but decided she wanted a child of her own.
Danish Clinics
A Danish friend told her about the sperm bank clinics in Denmark. Sperm donors in Denmark still enjoy anonymity, unlike UK donors who lost their anonymity back in 2005.
There is also a definite culture of donating sperm in Denmark, much like blood here in the UK. It is seen as something worthy and positive, rather than slightly smutty. Like other Nordic countries Denmark is quite relaxed and open about all matters relating to sex and procreation.
Applying to a sperm clinic
The clinics in Denmark need proof that you are not carrying any diseases - tests for which can be carried out on the NHS.
If the results for these come back ok the next step is a telephone interview, basically to elicit your motivation for having children in this way.
After that it is simply a case of going to Denmark, (in Jessica's case it was Copenhagen) at the best time, when you are just about to ovulate.
Ovulation Timing
Getting the timing right; being there at the time of your ovulation is fairly straightforward. You can track your cycle using a standard ovulation predictor kit available over-the-counter at any chemist. Tracking it for a few months can help with accuracy.
Cost
Most clinics charge about £450 for each insemination and it can take many attempts, with no guarantee of success. That combined with travel costs means the cost can soon escalate. The average success rate for a woman her age is 17%, which is fairly low. As stated before fertility declines rapidly in your 30s and even more so in your 40s.
Success
However, this was not the case for Jessica, she became pregnant at the first attempt. Good timing combined with good motile (active) sperm from a young donor did the trick.
Her daughter is due mid-March, named Freya after the Viking goddess of fertility.
Read the full story at: guardian.co.uk