Single parenting
A personal choice to become a single mother with the safety of assisted reproduction techniques
Single motherhood by choice: A change in society
Social changes over the last few years, specially in the workplace, have meant that many women find themselves in the end of their reproductive age without a long-term relationship in order to take on the commitment of having a child. In some other cases, there is a clear determination to carry forward motherhood without a male partner who would have rights and obligations over the child.
Nowadays we have to face many conflicts caused by break-ups of couples with children. We should add, however, the acceptance of today’s society towards these women. The rejection of yesteryear has been replaced by understanding, acceptance and, in many cases, admiration towards this personal choice.
Single motherhood at Instituto Bernabeu: A very special care
At Instituto Bernabeu we have not been oblivious to this phenomenon and have learned early on to understand the special circumstances surrounding this group of patients. We have always understood the need to offer more than just assisted reproduction treatments with high success rates. These women come to us after long consideration; it is not an easy decision and they require support and understanding from the very beginning. There are also special circumstances for women without a partner when it comes to treatment using donated sperm from our sperm bank.
In addition to the scrupulous donor selection process and allocation, we offer the mother-to-be choices between insemination techniques or In Vitro Fertilisation. The special emotional, financial, and work-related circumstances of each case will help in the choice of one technique over another. Our goal is very clear: to make the patient’s journey as short and as pleasant as possible from the moment when she decides to become a single mother to when her child is born.
Our donors: the most exhaustive selection process
Selection of the most appropriate donor including comprehensive medical and physical analyses and compatibility with the recipient patient
The trust our patients place in us is a huge responsibility. That is why the donor selection is for us a comprehensive process in which we analyse all possible aspects, beyond those required by law. The vast majority of sperm candidates do not pass the strict psychological, genetic and medical tests to which their suitability is subjected. Only the most appropriate donors are incorporated into our bank: only 9% in the case of sperm donor candidates.
Scientific progress and technology are continuously offering additional new analyses to provide the highest levels of reassurance. Over the last few years, among others, we have included the analysis for sexually transmitted diseases, genetic analyses of the 600/3000 most serious diseases that can be passed on to offspring and a blood test using CPR. As the diagnosis is immediate, it provides us with additional confirmation of blood tests the moment extraction takes place. All of this is provided at no additional costs to the patient.
Assisted reproduction techniques for single women to achieve pregnancy
Artificial insemination with donor sperm (AID)
AI consists of the introduction of sperm into the uterus in order to achieve pregnancy naturally, providing the fertilization inside the tubes. It does not require anaesthesia nor analgesia and it is not painful. At Instituto Bernabeu, the gynaecologist will previously assess the optimal moment to carry it out. Also, pharmacological ovarian stimulation is not always necessary. In the AI, tests can be requested to determine the permeability of the fallopian tubes. A pregnancy test is performed 15 days after insemination. Find our more
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
IVF is the most common procedure in reproductive medicine. Instituto Bernabeu personalises each treatment by protocols that consider numerous factors, including age, ovarian reserve, overall clinical history, previous explorations and, in some cases, the oocytes genetic study. All of this is aimed at avoiding medication excess and the design of optimal hormone doses to collect the right number of oocytes. In the laboratory, the eggs are fertilized with anonymous donor sperm and usually only one embryo is transferred. Freezing the remaining embryos, if any, allows for several pregnancies undergoing a single treatment. After fertilization, transfer is usually carried out at blastocyst stage, when the embryo is about five or six days old.
IVF allows pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD or PGTA), a test that reveals the embryo’s chromosomal endowment and, therefore, the selection of the most suitable embryos for transfer. It reduces the risks of having children with chromosomal diseases, as well as unsuccessful treatments ending in implantation failure and miscarriages. Find out more
Double Donation IVF
Double donation is the use of gametes coming from donated eggs and sperm. The embryo is implanted in blastocyst stage. Given the exhaustive screening and controls carried out before the donation, we consider this technique as one with the highest percentage of success. Learn more
Embryo adoption
Embryo adoption is another option for women who have to turn to treatments with donated gametes. Usually, the embryo comes from a previous double donation cycle, which makes it less expensive. The preparation to receive the embryo is very easy and straightforward. Find out more
