At Cryos, we want to help you give your patients the best possible chances for having a healthy child. By thoroughly testing and screening all donor candidates, we put a lot of resources into minimizing the risk related to the use of donor eggs. But the risk of a child inheriting a genetic disease is not isolated to the donor. By also comparing the genes of the donor and the man delivering the sperm, your patient will get even more assurance regarding the genes that are passed on to the child. That is why we offer Genetic Matching.
What is Genetic Matching?
Genetic Matching is an optional add-on when choosing a donor at Cryos. By using our Genetic Matching services, you can find out whether the genes of a chosen egg donor and the man delivering sperm are a good match before performing fertility treatment. If the test shows that they are not a good match and that your patient will face an increased risk of passing on diseases to children if proceeding with the chosen donor, your patient can, free of charge, choose a new donor to match their genes up against.
To avoid that the chosen donor is sold out while waiting for the Genetic Matching result, we highly recommend placing an order of at least 6 eggs at the same time as ordering Genetic Matching. Just make sure to choose the latest possible shipping date, so the order will not be shipped before you have the test result. You will get the result within 6 weeks, and if it is a no-match, you can terminate your order and get a refund.
Below you can learn more about why and how to order Genetic Matching.
Different Genetic Matching services – incl. match guarantee
At Cryos, we offer different Genetic Matching services depending on your patient’s situation and needs.
Single Gene Matching – Get to know if the donor and the genetic father carry a variant in the same gene
The Single Gene Matching solution is for people who already know that the genetic father is a carrier of a recessive genetic disease and want to be sure that the donor they choose is not a carrier of a mutation in the same gene.
To perform this type of matching, we need the genetic father to provide documentation of his own carrier status and let us know which gene(s) to look at. With Single Gene Matching, we offer to test up to 3 genes.
If the genetic father is a known carrier of a recessive genetic disease, we highly recommend that you inform your patient about the possibility of Single Gene Matching.
Panel Matching – Broad matching of more than 300 genes
The Panel Matching solution is for people who would like to get a broad and general matching for genetic diseases with recessive inheritance. With Genetic Panel Matching, we will match more than 300 of the genetic father’s recessive genes up against the genes of the chosen donor.
To do this, all we need is a saliva sample from the genetic father which can be made at home. We will send a test kit by mail once we have received the payment.
What are the costs of Genetic Matching?
Genetic Matching is an optional add-on when ordering donor eggs. The price of this service depends on which type of Genetic Matching you choose. You can see our prices here. Besides the added costs, all that is required is either a saliva sample from the genetic father or documentation of his known carrier status, depending on which service you choose.
What does the Genetic Matching result mean?
No matter which of our Genetic Matching services you choose, the result will either be ‘a match’ or ‘a no-match’.
If the donor is a no-match
If the chosen donor turns out to be a ‘no-match,’ you can, free of charge, choose a new donor for Genetic Matching.
If the donor is a match
If you receive a match, it means that the genetic father and the donor do not carry any of the same variants within the tested genes, and that you can go ahead and perform the treatment using her donor eggs. If you reserved eggs while ordering Genetic Matching, you can log in to your Cryos account and request delivery to your clinic.
How to order Genetic Matching of a Cryos donor
1. Search for a donor available for Genetic Matching (you can add Genetic Matching as a filter)
2. Once you have chosen a donor, go to her donor profile online and add the number of eggs you want to order in your basket (we recommend ordering at least 6 eggs)
3. Then choose which of our Genetic Matching services you want (Single Gene or Panel Matching) and add to basket
4. Continue to checkout and fill out the required information about the genetic parent (if Single Gene Matching: Upload documentation of his known carrier status)
5. Make sure not to request delivery until the match result comes in (this can take up to 6 weeks)
6. Finalize your order
7. Only for Panel Matching: Once we receive the payment, we will send a test kit and instructions by mail to the genetic father so he can make a saliva sample. When the sample is ready, it must be sent to our cooperating partners, using the accompanying packaging and shipping label, or to Cryos who will then forward it.
Within approximately 6 weeks, our Clinic Account Team will contact you with the result to let you know whether the donor is a match or not. You will also receive documentation of the test result via email.
Can genetic testing completely prevent diseases in children?
Even though we conduct a matching between the genetic father and a donor and look for recessive diseases, we cannot eliminate the risk of the child developing a genetic disease. There will always be a small residual risk, as not all genes will be examined, and new or unknown mutations cannot always be identified using matching either.
Do you have questions regarding Genetic Matching?
Our Clinic Account Team will be happy to answer any questions you might have and assist you in ordering Genetic Matching of one or more donors.