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    Screening of sperm donors

    All donors at Cryos have undergone thorough screening processes to evaluate their physical and mental health. Only donor candidates who are healthy and comply with country-specific regulations are being accepted and allowed into our donor programme.

      Cryos delivers donor sperm to many countries around the world, and most countries have different legislations regarding the use of sperm donors.

      In this page, you can learn how we select and screen our sperm donors according to our extensive quality assurance program, and how we make sure that our donors comply with the regulations in your treatment country.

      How we select and screen our donors

      When a potential donor applies at Cryos, he undergoes a very thorough selection and screening process.

      First, he completes a comprehensive medical questionnaire and participates in an interview with our medical staff with the aim of evaluating candidates based on family medical history and risk behaviour. Donor candidates with a family history of serious hereditary mental or physical diseases are rejected.

      Further to this, a thorough physical examination of the candidate is carried out, and blood and urine samples are tested for infectious diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B and C, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HTLV. In our lab, we also do a genetic carrier test for a number of recessive diseases, which means that the donor candidates at the time being are tested for the most common genetic variants causing: 

      • Cystic fibrosis  
      • Hemoglobinopathies (including Alfa thalassemia, Beta thalassemia, and Sickle cell) 
      • Spinal muscular atrophy  
      • Tay Sachs
      • Non-syndromic deafness (GJB2)

      These are the most frequent serious hereditary diseases worldwide.  

      Finally, they are screened for normal karyotype (chromosome profile). 

      All donors who get approved are regularly tested for infectious diseases throughout the full duration of the donation period. 

      In each sperm donor profile available on our website, you will find a Summary of Records (SOR) containing test results, donor characteristics and Standard release information. The SOR will be attached to the order confirmation and a copy is also included in your shipment. The Summary of Records is subject to change over time, due to the continuous testing of the donors.

      If you are looking to buy sperm for your own fertility treatment, and you are a known carrier of any hereditary disease, please contact our Customer Care who can help you on how to choose the right sperm donor.

      Country specific requirements (Standards)

      Cryos is licensed according to the EU-Tissue Directive and can deliver donor sperm to all EU countries as well as export outside of the EU. Most countries have different legislations regarding the use of sperm donors, including requirements in the selection and screening of sperm donors. During the screening process, all sperm donors at Cryos are therefore being selected, screened and released for clinical use in specific countries or areas. 

      When creating a free account online and indicating your treatment country, it enables us to show you only the donors that comply with the regulations in that specific country. 

      Learn more about the country specific requirements (Standards) .

       

      How we handle reported diseases (conditions) 

      In every pregnancy, there is a small risk of having a child with a congenital disease, and in some cases, this might turn out to be inherited. At Cryos our donors undergo a thorough screening process before being accepted as a donor in order to minimize the risk of the donor passing any serious conditions on to the child. 

      Despite our thorough selection and screening procedure, however, the risk of having a child with a medical condition cannot be eliminated. If a condition is detected in a child, and there is reason to believe that the disease might be the result of the use of donor sperm, Cryos should be informed immediately, so that we can take the necessary action. Please reach out to our Customer Service, who can help you report a condition. 

      When Cryos receives a Report of Condition, our Genetics team will handle it immediately and start an investigation. The purpose of the investigation is to assess if the disease could or could not be related to the donor.  

      In some cases, our Genetics team will conclude that the report can be rejected, and that no further actions are necessary. This is the case when the genetics team assesses that the disease is not related to the donor or that the risk of recurrence in half siblings is not significantly elevated. 

      In other cases, the Report of Condition requires further investigation. The donor’s sperm will then be put in quarantine, as a temporary precaution, while further investigation is carried out.  

      Eventually, the conclusion will either be that the report of condition can be rejected, or that the donor must be permanently blocked. A donor will be permanently blocked if our Genetics team assesses that the condition might be related to the donor. If a donor is permanently blocked, his sperm can only be purchased for sibling treatment – which means, only by women who have already conceived a child with sperm from this donor. 



      Frequently asked questions about Cryos' screening of sperm donors

      What is a Standard?

      Countries have different regulations regarding selection, screening, and approval procedures for sperm donors and donor sperm. An example is a Standard for CMV infection and because we want to be sure that we meet the different Standards, we only accept donors who have tested IgM negative. We call these Standards. A donor/sperm straw can be released according to one or several Standards.

      Are sperm donors checked?

      To become a sperm donor at Cryos, candidates must go through a thorough screening process in which our donor coordinators evaluate their physical and mental health.

      How are sperm donors screened?

      The sperm donors are screened for several infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B and C, HIV, and syphilis. Besides the infectious diseases, we also perform a genetic carrier test to check for recessive diseases such as Cystic fibrosis, Spinal muscular atrophy, and Tay Sachs, and the donor’s family health is mapped. Furthermore, the sperm donor’s mental health is evaluated.

      Why screen sperm donors?

      We screen sperm donors because it is our responsibility and to help ensure the best possible chances of having a healthy child. We want to help create or enlarge families, but we must do it in a way, where we ensure the health and well-being of the future donor-conceived children.

      Are sperm donors screened for CMV?

      Yes. At Cryos, we screen all candidates for a variety of viruses and genetic disorders, as well as their CMV-status. We accept only donors who have tested IgM negative. This means that the donors do not have an active CMV infection.