Can I be a mother if I don’t have a partner?

Currently there are various assisted reproduction techniques to be a mother if you do not have a male partner. Above all, the woman should do an interview in an assisted reproduction center to assess the case and find out which is the best technique in her particular situation.

What technique is appropriate?

In the first place, a good medical history will be taken, from questions about diseases that you have suffered, surgical interventions, allergies ... First of all, you must have a gynecological examination up to date, with cytology, mammography if the doctor considers it necessary and ultrasound gynecological.

Analyzes should also be requested to see the hormonal status, blood group and serologies of hepatitis, HIV ... According to the results of all testing will indicate the best technique in each case (artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization).

Artificial insemination

The is an assisted reproductive technique in which a semen sample is placed inside the woman's womb at the time of ovulation. The sperm must then go up the womb, through the fallopian tubes and reach the egg. Once there they must be able to fertilize the ovum themselves.

In the event that the woman has a partner and that the semen sample is suitable enough for it, a conjugal artificial insemination is performed. On the other hand, if the woman does not have a male partner or the partner's semen sample is not suitable enough, the same technique can be performed but with a donor semen sample.

Artificial insemination can be carried out in a natural cycle, without administering hormones to the woman and monitoring ultrasound, and sometimes also analytically. Approximately 14 days after the first day of the last menstrual period ovulation occurs and then insemination occurs. Other times a woman is given hormonal medication to better control the exact time of ovulation.

The insemination is carried out in consultation, placing a speculum in the vagina and a small cannula with the semen sample through the neck of the womb to its interior.

In vitro fertilization

It consists of fertilizing eggs outside the body and placing the resulting embryos in the womb. To obtain the eggs, a hormonal medication is administered to the woman so that she produces the maximum number of eggs. These are obtained by puncture through the vagina and with ultrasound control. It is a small intervention that is performed in the operating room and under sedation.

The eggs are placed in special plates with a culture medium and a donor semen sample is put in. There the sperm fertilize the ovum. On other occasions, an ICSI is performed, a technique by which a sperm is chosen and fertilization is carried out by introducing the head of the sperm directly into the egg.

Whether using one technique or the other, the embryos are allowed to grow for a couple of days and then one or two embryos are placed in the womb, with a special cannula. In both cases, in addition, the sperm donor is chosen according to strict rules: it must be a man between 18 and 35 years old, without hereditary, infectious or mental diseases. A family history is also made, so the donor cannot be adopted as the family history is unknown. The quality of the semen must be optimal and withstand freezing and thawing.

In addition, donors are limited to six donations to avoid possible later encounters of children sired with the same man's semen.

What if my eggs are not good enough?

In cases where the woman's eggs are not suitable for in vitro fertilization, especially in women over 40 years of age, egg donation can be used together with sperm donation. Egg donor women are selected from volunteers between the ages of 18 and 35, with normal ovulatory function, no infectious, genetic or mental diseases, and no piercings or tattoos in the past six months.

• A woman without a partner can become a mother through artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization.
• Both techniques are performed with a donor semen sample.
• If the woman's eggs are not of adequate quality, an egg donation can be used.