Midwest sperm bank? - Page 12

[wehrli]

hmmmm... that IS frustrating! my only thought is that they were closed earlier this year for reorganization and maybe the lapse caused a supply issue, with the six month quarantine and all. IDK, maybe call and talk to Vicki or whoever and ask what donors are available with some of the features you are looking for. Joanne (don't believe she's there any longer) did that a few times for me. I'd call and ask for our top choice and if he were sold out she'd offer a suggestion that might have similar features and then I'd take a look at some of those profiles. G/L! and I hope BC accepts you soon... there are A LOT of help to be found there.

[Ourfirstlove12]

I am also considering using donor 225:treehugger. So I would like to know. How did it go:shy

[theguy]

There are a few that will release ID to child only after 18yo.   372 is one of them.

[liorete]

My partner and I have decided to start this journey with midwest sperm bank.  We have been tracking every cycle since October and will finally be trying THIS MONTH (in just a couple of weeks)!  We have not selected a final donor yet and just sent the rest of our paperwork in today (but did speak to someone and they have confirmed that they have everything)!  I look forward to deciding on a donor and giving this a try (we have found a great doctor in our area!)  Thank you to everyone who has shared their information here.  It makes things a lot less intimidating to see how many people have walked this path before us!

[cjcwomyn3]

I spoke with staff there at length and have looked at 11 donors.  My wife and I are ready in about 6 weeks!  I just iffy about donors because some of them are all over the internet as being "successful" and that freaks me out like our potential offspring will have 100 step bros and sisters. LOL!

[Muttchen]

I thought Midwest went bankrupt?

[wehrli]

no, not at all... they just did a mass reorganization. they've been reopened for almost 6 months, I think.

[2mamas2010]

Well don't use donor 038 then.  He has over 100 offspring, probably (most likely) more.  And if you think that number may or may not affect you if you get pregnant by him, believe me, it will.

Midwest likes to push the same handful of donors on everyone because they are successful.  It's totally unethical and disgusting.  I'm sure a lot of banks are like this, but I have this experience with Midwest so I can't speak for other places.  

Also since their reorganization, their prices have skyrocketed and their quality has declined.  

Choose your bank wisely... It's your child's future.

[2mamas2010]

Also, all donors at Midwest are anonymous.  There are no ID release donors at this bank.

[cjcwomyn3]

I spoke to them and they did not push any donors on me. They have sent me 12 donor profiles and given me all of the information I asked for. They are actually the most economically smart choice for my wife and I. Donor 038 is not available any longer and produced so many children due in part due to lack of pregnancy self-reporting. Only if a doctor performs insemination is a pregnancy report required. I asked about several donors and each was given the same objective report. I called them primarily to dispel the tumor I kept reading on the internet. Every single sperm bank has some rumor mill around it and you either believe it or take a leap of faith. MWSB closed due to reorganization. My company is doing the same thing right now so I understand. That's why the prices went up. It came down to Northwest or MWSB and we chose Midwest.

[2mamas2010]

Donor 038 is not available anymore in the Midwest because of the huge number of children he's produced there.  However, he is certainly still available to any other part of the country.  I don't think his large numbers are due solely to lack of self reporting.  I reported it even though we didn't go through a doctor.

I've been dealing with this bank for the past 4 years and let me tell you, their sudden closing (without even telling their current clients this was happening) was more than just an overhaul to increase prices.  They were not completing the proper physicals required and just signing them off like they were.

You can believe what they tell you over the phone, but let me tell you, lots of contradictory information has come over that same line whether you were talking to Vicky or Joanne.

Do what's right for your family, that's great.  I just feel people should have the most amount of information possible in order to make a good choice. 

[cjcwomyn3]

My thoughts were that every bank posed risks. NW is very popular on the barycenter boards and costs us for the same. I suppose they are our second choice. Being lesbian parents immediately limited us in many ways. I appreciate the information. Best of luck to us all!

[prettyisa]

Having watched the whole reorganization go down (we were in the process of switching donors when it happened, so just switched to NW), I would say that if you do get pregnant and want to store vials for future siblings that you remove them from their storage and pay to have them held elsewhere. That was the most heartbreaking part of the whole thing--people who had planned ahead to use the same donor and suddenly found that they had no access to vials they had already paid for. It's certainly not the end of the world, but if it's important to you you might want to consider off-site storage, especially if the price difference isn't too great.

[EmilyandCathy]

I started another thread but thought that I would post my question here as well.  My partner and I are about to use Midwest Sperm Bank and are wondering if we can get more than one insemination from one vial.  For example, can we use one vial for several tries over a couple of days?  How long is the sperm viable?  Thanks so much!!! 

[lisedea]

No, you cannot. First of all, there isn't much sperm in each vial. Second, the sperm will not live that long--you need to use it immediately after you thaw it out.

[Sara2012]

  Hi...I have a question. My daughter is wanting to conceive. She is single. She too will attempt to conceive via vaginal insemination. Did you buy the insemination kit Midwest offers?

[DesertSunsets]

Sara2012 - many people here have conceived using the insemination kits that you can purchase from sperm banks.  Some of us prefer to purchase our own supplies, as it may be cheaper in the long run to do so.  If she is just doing a vaginal insemination, a sterile syringe should be quite sufficient.  You can buy individually packaged sterile syringes on Amazon.com or Ebay.com, if you don't want to buy through Midwest.  

Best of luck to your daughter!

[Sara2012]

Hi. How many vials should one buy for an attempt? When trying insemination at home how do you do this?

[DesertSunsets]

How many vials she purchases is entirely a personal decision.  We used two vials per cycle (2 inseminations) but many people have become pregnant after using only one well-timed vial.  

Midwest will ship to your home I believe, so just order the shipment to arrive on the early end of the fertile window.  When it's time for the insemination, we just took the vial out of the container (carefully, as it's extremely cold and can burn your skin) and let it thaw for a few minutes, then we'd hold it in our hands/armpits/between our breasts until it was body temperature.  Then you just suck up all the sample inside the vial into your syringe, place it inside the vagina, and carefully push all the sperm out.  It's common belief around here that it's best to lay on your back with your hips propped up for at least 20-30 minutes, if possible, to let all the swimmers get up in there.  

Also, if you're interested in more information, you should head over to the Queer Conceptions April thread!  Everyone there is also trying to conceive and are in various stages of the monthly cycle.  They're chock full of knowledge and good advice as well as support. 

[lisedea]

Here is the link for Queer Conceptions:

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1349437/queer-conceptions-april-2012