Two Moms and A Vial of Sperm
Learn more about Katie and Chelsea Conrad’s journey to becoming first-time moms with the help of donor sperm
When I was five years old, my mom told me “love makes a baby.” As it turns out, it takes a lot more than that! Let’s just say, there are two basic ingredients we all need to make a mini: egg and sperm. My wife and I are both egg-producing people, which left us with only half the ingredients. And so we began our fertility journey with a sperm donor search.
This mysterious task felt daunting and we didn’t have anyone to turn to for advice. Then, we found a webinar hosted by Fairfax Cryobank. We joined the webinar all about choosing a sperm donor. We listened, took notes, and asked questions. The host was calm and knowledgeable, and instantly made us feel like we were not alone in this process! After the webinar, we spent time on the Fairfax website, where we found an LGBTQ+ Families tab! This section of the site linked helpful resources and shared family testimonials. It was at this moment that we decided Fairfax was the right fit for our family.
Next came the challenge of choosing a person to give our children half their DNA. There are so many options, prep types, genetic factors, donors…the list goes on! Armed with knowledge from the multitude of webinars we attended, we felt ready to make these important decisions. Here are the choices we faced:
- ID vs Non-ID: An ID donor option keeps the door open to some degree. When the child turns 18, Fairfax Cryobank will provide them with the contact information for the donor A Non-ID donor has agreed for their contact information not to be shared. Fairfax offers filters so you can customize the types of donors you want to see.
- Prep Type: Talk to your fertility clinic about what you might need in this category. Fairfax offers sperm prepared for different methods of conception including ICI, IUI, and IVF. The Client Services team helped us make the correct purchase!
- Genetics: Prospective parents can choose to apply filters like skin tone, hair and eye color, and genetic screening. Fairfax even has an advanced genetic screening tab that will only show donors who are negative for their expanded panel of tests. If this sounds confusing, the Client Services team can help!
- Characteristics: Specialized profiles on each donor elaborate on characteristics like personality traits, athleticism, religious beliefs, and hobbies. It is important to some people that the donor resemble the non-bio parent in some way!
For our family, Katie (long hair) will carry using her eggs and donor sperm. Our chosen method of conception is IUI. The most important factors in our decision were the donor’s genetic health and physical characteristics. We wanted someone who resembled Chelsea in some way and who was expanded panel negative. We enjoyed learning about our donor’s personality and hobbies as well! We highly recommend the “Full Access Subscription” that allows you to browse childhood and adult photos as well as see other facets of the donor profile. In the end, we found our perfect donor. We were placed on a waiting list and contacted when the donor became available. We were so excited to find our perfect match! We completed our order over the phone and the representative made everything as easy as it could be! We wouldn’t trade our experience with Fairfax and are thrilled to continue on our journey to parenthood! Follow along with us on Instagram @becomingconrads
Thanks for reading!
Katie and Chelsea
More about Katie and Chelsea
Katie and Chelsea Conrad are first-time mamas in the making. Chelsea is a Maryland firefighter and Katie is a Music Therapist. They live in the DMV with their two pups and cats! When they are not at work, they are often browsing local farmer’s markets and trying new restaurants! The couple were married in June of 2019 and are starting the journey to motherhood. They are documenting every step on Instagram and love connecting with other people along the way! Follow along @becomingconrads on Instagram.
