FINALLY TTC! Now I'm trying to remember everything I've read over the past couple of years! Last night I bought some OPKs and HPTs and it was the most exciting moment! I just had to do something to make our decision feel "real", ya know? Even after all the research I've done, it's still overwhelming! The first decision is which sperm bank? I was thinking Midwest, but it doesn't look like they do ICI- ready stuff. It seems like Fairfax has the best website, but I honestly don't even know what to look for! Advice? Thanks ladies! Get ready for MANY questions!
:::off to browse donors:::
Re: AW: We're starting!
Yay Mandy!! This is so exciting! Yes, step one would be to find your donor. Looking for Portuguese donors meant I researched almost bank out there so if you have specific questions I will try to help.
And YGPM :-)
How exciting!!!!
ps - midwest only has washed but you can certainly use that for ICI
eta: we've used midwest, california cryo, new england cryo, and fairfax - they all have thier pros and cons, and we've been equally satisfied with each though our highest post-thaw counts have come from fairfax.
Blogs: Our Growing Family - CT Working Moms
That's what I thought, but I couldn't remember if it worked that way or the other way around! Thanks There are so many decisions to make...
YAY!!
We used fairfax since it was close and we saved on shipping. Once we decided on the bank, you will need to decide what you are looking for in a donor - coloring/education/confirmed pregnancies/medical history etc. Everyone has different criteria that is important to them!
Wait- that doesn't make any sense. I don't know what I was thinking! lol
Yay! Make babies!
We decided to go with Fairfax - they have all of the policies we were looking for, and although I think they are smaller than California Cryobank, we are not looking for anything very specific in a donor as far as national origin or looks, so that's fine. Plus we will save on shipping while we're in this area. (We're moving to Portland next year and will either be in the middle of TTC w/ Jen, or she will be pregnant already and we'll have to have it shipped when it's my turn in a few years.)
YAY! congrats!
We used Fairfax here too, since E really wanted a lot of info on the donor, and they have a lot online.
(Seems a lot of us used Fairfax- anyone curious about possible sibilings? I don't mean to offend at all)
congrats!!
We also went with Fairfax, in part because our RE liked them (and we searched CA and Fairfax and one more extensively and they had, hands down, our fav donor). And our RE is willing to store from them so we only had to pay shipping once for our first 3 samples.
We used Fairfax because it was local and also they had the best donor for us.
Good luck!!
IUI #3 gave us the best 2nd anniv. gift ever: 2 babies! (born 03/09/10)
Peanut and Little Man are getting so big! 2 years old already!
finally blogging again at This Will Be: An Adventure
IUI #3 gave us the best 2nd anniv. gift ever: 2 babies! (born 03/09/10)
Peanut and Little Man are getting so big! 2 years old already!
finally blogging again at This Will Be: An Adventure
Late to the post, but wanted to say YAY!!!! So excited for you!
We picked our bank based on donor selection. I first searched all the major banks (that I know of) and then checked to see if they had the type of donor we wanted (looking for a redhead limited us BIG TIME). I actually have a little spreadsheet that lists 8 banks, their fees for shipping/storage/etc, and the average cost for their ID-release donors if you are interested, I could email it to you.
sahm ~ toddler breastfeeder ~ cloth diaperer ~ baby wearer
Wooo hooo!
I know what you mean! I spent years learning all about how I wanted to do everything and then when it actually began I was shocked at how overwhelmed I felt!
Congrats! Good luck!
http://oi62.tinypic.com/2w73hq9.jpg
That would be wonderful! I am literally trying to put one together right now, so I'd love to see yours! I'll PM my email, not sure if you have it.
sahm ~ toddler breastfeeder ~ cloth diaperer ~ baby wearer