Adoption and donor insemination: factors influencing couples' choices

The increasing availability of donor insemination (DI) gives couples faced with male infertility a choice between DI and adoption, and for many, DI is now the preferred option. The results of a study of 54 couples who gave birth to a child or children by means of DI are presented both quantitatively and qualitatively, and show that most couples who have children by DI have considered adoption. Their reasons for choosing DI range from the practical to the emotional, from perceived negative aspects of adoption to perceived advantages of DI. This article discusses these perceptions and their implications.