For some people, having a baby without a partner is a sought-after dream. There are also many people in same-sex relationships who want to celebrate the joys of being a parent.
Sperm is a necessary part of conception, and you can’t get pregnant without it. However, there are some options you can try if you want to get pregnant on your own or without a man.
In-vitro fertilization is one of the most well-known types of assisted reproductive technology. It uses a combination of medicines and surgical procedures to help sperm fertilize an egg.
During IVF treatment, you take fertility drugs to stimulate your ovaries to release more eggs. Then, a specialist retrieves the eggs from your ovaries, using an ultrasound-guided needle through your vaginal wall. Once the eggs are retrieved, the specialist incubates them together with sperm from your partner or a donor. One or two healthy embryos are then transferred to your uterus. When you’re discussing the procedure beforehand, you and the specialist will decide together on how many embryos to transfer.
It usually takes several months to complete the entire process. Some people get pregnant on the first try, and others need more than one round of IVF.
If you want to get pregnant, IVF might be a good option if you:
If you have conceived through IVF, check out our IVF and FET Due Date Calculator.
Another option to get yourself pregnant is artificial insemination. The most commonly used method is intrauterine insemination (IUI). IUI is a procedure that places sperm directly inside your uterus, helping the sperm get closer to your egg.
In order for IUI to work, your health care provider will have you take fertility medicines that stimulate ovulation before the procedure. Or the specialist may do the procedure during your natural ovulation cycle. When it’s time, a specialist will take semen from your partner or a donor and insert it into your uterus. If the procedure is successful, the sperm fertilizes an egg and that fertilized egg implants in the lining of your uterus, eventually growing into a fetus and starting you on your pregnancy journey.
IUI is the most successful type of artificial insemination and can be a great option for getting pregnant without a man. It’s also a simple procedure that’s less expensive than other fertility treatments.
Another option for getting yourself pregnant is at-home insemination. There are some benefits of at-home insemination, including:
In an at-home procedure, the practitioner uses a needleless syringe to insert semen into your vagina (not directly into your uterus). You can also buy at-home insemination kits. They come with containers for semen and syringes to insert it into the vagina. Although the procedure may seem simple, it might take several attempts before you’re able to do it successfully.
It’s important to know that at-home inseminations aren’t as regulated as inseminations performed in a medical office. A home environment can increase the risk of infection, while a clinical environment is a more sterile option. For this reason, it’s important to thoroughly educate yourself about the procedure and discuss it with the person performing the insemination.
Before you attempt to get pregnant on your own, there are a few legal issues you should be aware of.
If you’re using in-vitro fertilization (IVF), there are some necessary legal steps you need to take. These might include parental rights, sperm donor agreements, or co-parenting agreements. A trained counselor with expertise in donor issues can help you understand any legal concerns, such as the legal rights of the sperm donor. You may also need a lawyer to help you with the required paperwork in order to become a legal parent of an implanted embryo.
There are also some legal restrictions for artificial insemination. Some countries don’t permit artificial insemination for single people, and some countries don’t permit the use of donor sperm at all.
At-home insemination with a sperm donor comes with a number of legal risks. Insemination that happens without the supervision of a medical professional may not be recognized in court as a donor-conceived child. In other words, the sperm donor could legally apply for parental rights over the child (even if you have a written and signed contract that says otherwise). If you’re planning to try in-home insemination with someone who is not legally your partner, it’s best to consult with a reproductive lawyer first.
Although you can get pregnant without having sexual intercourse, pregnancy without sperm is impossible.
Without intercourse, you can get pregnant with the help of different fertility treatments and procedures such as IVF, IUI, and at-home insemination.
Biologically, sperm is an essential ingredient of reproduction. It takes sperm to make a baby. Pregnancy happens when sperm fertilizes an egg. The sperm can enter the body directly through the vagina via sexual intercourse, or it can be inserted by a health care specialist via artificial insemination.
During IVF, eggs together with sperm are incubated outside the body. If fertilization occurs, one or two healthy embryos are then transferred to the uterus.
If you’re planning to get pregnant on your own, there are a few things you should consider:
"Artificial Conception: Artificial Insemination And In Vitro Fertilization - Findlaw". Findlaw, 2020, https://family.findlaw.com/surrogacy-artificial-conception/artificial-conception-artificial-insemination-and-in-vitro.html.
Brezina, Paul R, and Yulian Zhao. “The Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Impacted by Modern Assisted Reproductive Technologies.” Obstetrics and Gynecology International, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3261493/.
"In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) - Mayo Clinic". Mayoclinic.Org, 2020, https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/in-vitro-fertilization/about/pac-20384716.
“IVF Procedures.” Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/fertility/lab/ivf-procedures.
“Intrauterine Insemination (IUI).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 16 July 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/intrauterine-insemination/about/pac-20384722.
