Many factors can affect your fertility including genetics, your age, your weight, various lifestyle choices, and others. But there’s another, often hidden factor you may not have considered: stress. Stress is unique because it’s so hard to control and it affects everyone differently. Yet avoiding stress is virtually impossible for anyone, particularly women actively trying to conceive, which can be stressful enough by itself. Plus, research has linked high stress levels with irregular...

  At Seattle Sperm Bank, we only use sperm samples from carefully screened donors. This helps ensure the health and safety of you and your child should you successfully conceive. Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has existing regulations for sperm donation, our internal vetting process is even more rigorous. This has been the case since we opened, and we continually look for ways to improve our screening process to better protect you. Becoming a sperm donor is more difficult...

  When you're trying to get pregnant, even minor lifestyle adjustments can have positive effects. Plus, unlike genetics, these are things largely within your control. Following the tips below may increase your fertility and your chances of conception. Be sure to discuss these ideas with your doctor or midwife to create a plan specific to you, your body type, and your ovulation cycle. Watch Your Caffeine Like most lifestyle choices, moderation is key. And that includes caffeine, which many...

At Seattle Sperm Bank, we name our donors. Why? Because our donors are more than anonymous numbers to us, just as they should be for you. Though you may never meet your donor, it’s important for you to know as much about them as possible. We personalize our donors to help you better connect with them and make a more informed decision. It’s all part of our personalized donor-matching service. To see how this works, visit our online donor tool. Along with the donor names, here you will find...

Choosing the right sperm donor is an important decision. But it can be overwhelming, especially since we have hundreds of quality donors to choose from. So a good first question to ask is: What is most important to you? Consider both the physical and psychological characteristics you’d like to see in your child including personality, intelligence, sense of humor, and other intangible traits. Once you consider these things, you can then use one of our many helpful and comprehensive online tools...

Using a sperm donor to conceive your child is a safe and effective way to start a family. But choosing the right sperm donor takes time. For those just starting the process, learn more about how to choose the right sperm donor. Once you do decide, you want to be sure there are enough donor units to help you successfully conceive. At Seattle Sperm Bank, we only work with donors who commit to donating regularly – at least once per week – so that we have enough available in storage now and in the...

It may not be the first thing you think of in the process, but shipping donor sperm is a critical part of a successful insemination. Using our industry leading cryologistics processes and equipment allows us to get high quality donor samples to you in a safe and timely manner. Shipping sperm requires expertise and special handling, and Seattle Sperm Bank is licensed to distribute our samples to all U.S. states and territories.  We also work with carefully-vetted international partners to...

    There are several safe and effective methods of artificial insemination, but choosing the best one for you can be confusing. This article explains and compares some common methods to help you make the best choice. The two most common and successful methods of artificial insemination are intrauterine insemination (IUI) and intracervical insemination (ICI or vaginal insemination). We know these acronyms can be confusing, so be careful not to mistake any of the terms above with...

Recent news reports about a lawsuit involving Georgia-based sperm bank Xytex Cryo International is of great concern to Seattle Sperm Bank (SSB) – as it should be for the entire industry. This particular suit centers on the inaccurate and allegedly fabricated application of a man who proved to suffer from schizophrenia, a condition that was not disclosed in his application. He also appeared to lie about his educational background and other important details. Regardless of the outcome of this...

Seattle Sperm Bank has created SSB Connects, its own proprietary Donor Sibling Registry, to help facilitate contact between parents of donor conceived children. This is only for those who officially declare their wish to connect with other families who used the same sperm donor. The goal of SSB Connects is to safely and comfortably facilitate this contact between parents of children conceived using the same donor. It helps create community, compare parenting experiences, exchange medical...