Dear Mary: My best friend wants to use a sperm donor so she can have a baby, but I’m worried for her

"A pregnancy achieved through donor sperm is far better thought out and usually more welcomed than a one-night-stand where precautions haven’t been taken and result in a pregnancy." Illustration: Getty

Mary O'Conor

Question: We’ve been married for a few years and had our first child about four months ago and are thrilled with him — as are all our friends, naturally. However, my best friend is “over-the-moon” about him and spends all her spare time in our house cooing over him and so on.

She’s single and about 40. With the birth of our son, her body clock has taken on increased significance. She lives with her elderly parents and has a good job. Recently she announced she’s going to go to a sperm bank to be impregnated and have her own child.