When an exam has discovered that one of two parties is unable to conceive a child  there are other technologies available, whether you are part of a couple or a single wanting a child through pregnancy many have turned to third parties for help conceiving.

Some techniques, such as sperm donation and surrogacy, have been around for years, while others, such as egg donation and embryo donation, are still relatively new.

Donor insemination (DI), or sperm donation, can be used to overcome male factor infertility issues and to help women who are not partnered with men but still want to conceive. Women may choose a known or an anonymous donor.

Egg donation occurs when one woman donates an egg to another woman who wishes to conceive. Egg donation offers a woman the chance to experience pregnancy. Though the woman won’t share a genetic relationship with her child, she will have the opportunity to carry her child and experience birth.

Surrogacy is the process in which a woman carries a baby for another couple or single parent. Usually, a surrogate receives a fee, although in some cases the surrogate is a relative to the couple and chooses to donate her services. There are two kinds of surrogacy:

Traditional surrogacy: The surrogate supplies her own egg, which is then combined with the intended father’s sperm or donated sperm.

Gestational surrogacy: The surrogate undergoes IVF or GIFT using the intended mother’s egg and the intended father’s sperm or donated sperm. As a result, both the intended parents share a genetic relationship with the baby. The procedure resembles egg donation in that both the intended mother and the surrogate synchronize their cycles for the procedure.

Surrogacy has legal processes as well. After the baby is born, the intended parents need to adopt him or her. If you are interested in having a child via surrogacy, you should contact a lawyer specializing in third-party reproductive issues.

Embryo donation, sometimes called embryo adoption, occurs when families left with extra embryos after fertility treatment donate those embryos to other couples struggling with infertility. Though neither the man nor the woman receiving a donated embryo will share a genetic relationship with a child they have through the procedure, it gives them the opportunity to experience pregnancy and birth.  This procedure also includes legal processes and a lawyer specializing in third-party reproduction should be involved.