Shipping and delivery of donor sperm

In the following, you can find all the information you need about shipping dates and methods, delivery times, returning of nitrogen tanks and more.

Shipment dates and deadlines

When you order donor sperm at Cryos, you are asked to choose the shipment date. You are very welcome to place your order up to 4 weeks in advance (we would always be able to adjust the shipment date later). The earliest shipment date is 1,5 working days after your online order has been placed.

If you need your order sooner than this, we will charge you an additional late order fee. Late-orders (orders placed after 12:00AM (CET) on the last working day before the chosen shipment date) can only be processed if paid by credit card. Late-orders can be dispatched on the same day as we receive it, if the order is placed before 12:00AM (CET) on a working day.

Delivery time and prices

Your order is delivered by a courier company directly to your fertility clinic or authorized healthcare professional. There are no deliveries on weekends.

The delivery time depends on whether the order should be delivered in or outside Europe:

• European countries: 1-3 weekdays (Monday - Friday)
• Rest of the world: 2-5 weekdays (Monday - Friday)

The times listed above apply under normal conditions. The delivery time may vary depending on the destination and other conditions.

For some destinations outside the EU, customs procedures may delay the delivery. Please ensure that your fertility clinic or healthcare professional has the necessary import license to receive your order. We may charge an additional deposit on deliveries outside Europe (mainly on deliveries to clinics and/or destinations that are “new” to Cryos). The deposit will be repaid to you when the tank has safely returned to Cryos.

See the price of donor sperm and shipping here.

Recommended or individual shipment? 

Some clinics prefer to receive orders on specific dates. If this is the case for your clinic, you may be asked to choose between ‘Recommended shipment’ or ‘Individual shipment’ during checkout.  

• Recommended shipment is the shipment option preferred by your clinic. When choosing this type of shipment, your order will be shipped from Cryos on your clinic’s preferred shipment date as a joint shipment. This means that all orders for your clinic will be sent on the same day, which helps your clinic organize their work. This will also reduce your shipping costs and help protect the environment.  
• Individual shipment gives you the option of choosing another shipment date than the preferred shipment by your clinic. This could be relevant for urgent shipments. 

If your treatment allows it, please choose Recommended shipment, as this is the shipment option preferred by your clinic. 

How we ship the sperm

Depending on the destination, the sperm straws are either sent in a dry ice container or a large dry ice container (32x27x22 cm. or 37x32x27 cm.) or a nitrogen tank or a large nitrogen tank (40x30x30 cm. or 52x37x37 cm.).

Shipping donor sperm with a dry ice container

The sperm straws are placed in an insulated dry ice container with carbon dioxide (CO2) at -79°C. When receiving the dry ice box, it is important that the sperm straws are in constant contact with the dry ice until thawing/use. This means that you must not open the insulated container before use.

We recommend to only use dry ice shipments for orders placed from Monday to Wednesday. This is to ensure that the shipment reaches its destination before the weekend. Be advised that dry ice shipments can’t be used for all destinations due to short durability. If dry ice shipment is possible to your destination, it will appear as an option when you place your order.

The dry ice container should not be returned to Cryos.

Shipping donor sperm with a nitrogen tank

The tank is cooled to -196°C by nitrogen, but it is a dry-shipper, so it does not contain liquid nitrogen. The sperm straws are placed in a canister in the nitrogen tank, which is placed inside a wooden transport box.

It is important that you do not open the tank until you need to use the straw(s). The donor sperm straws should be stored in the nitrogen tank until use or be moved to another nitrogen tank at a fertility clinic.

The nitrogen tank must be returned to Cryos after use. See how to return the tank further down on this page.

Which shipping method should I choose?

Which shipping method you should choose, depends on how long you need the sperm to stay frozen. Please find an overview of the durability of each shipping method below:

Durability

• Nitrogen tank: 7 days (including the shipping day)
• Large nitrogen tank: 12 days (including the shipping day)
• Dry ice container: 3 days (including the shipping day)
• Large dry ice container: 5 days (including the shipping day)

Please note that your chosen shipping day counts as day 1 in the number of days the tank/container can keep the straws frozen.

Documents included in the shipment

The documents that accompany your shipment:

• Packing list
• Summary of Records: containing test results and Standard release information about the donor
• Safety warning for handling of dry ice (CO2) or the nitrogen tank (LN2)
• Instructions for return of the nitrogen tank (only for nitrogen tank deliveries)
• Shipping label for return of the nitrogen tank (only for nitrogen tank deliveries)

Someone needs to be present to receive the delivery

When your order is delivered, it is important that someone is present to sign for the delivery. This means that you must ensure that your fertility clinic or healthcare professional will be available to receive the package. Otherwise, the courier may take the package back to the warehouse and leave a note with further information concerning an alternative pick-up location or delivery time.

Returning of the nitrogen tank

Together with your nitrogen tank shipment, we will send directions on how to return the tank and a pre-printed return label containing all the necessary information. The return shipping is prepaid (charges are included in the shipping price), when using the preprinted return label.  

To return the nitrogen tank, a pick-up must be scheduled with the courier service. This can be done here on our website, directly on the courier’s website or by calling the courier. Contact information on the courier is enclosed in the shipment.

Please use one of the above-mentioned procedures for returning the nitrogen tank. Choosing an alternative shipping option may result in loss of the tank and a potential claim of EUR 1000.

Since we re-use the tanks for other clients who are eagerly awaiting their shipment, please return the tank as soon as you have used the content. The tank must be returned to Cryos no later than the day the durability of the tank has expired.

If day 8 or day 13 after shipping day is a weekend or holiday, please ship the nitrogen tank the following weekday. 

If the tank is not returned in due time, Cryos will charge EUR 100 excl. VAT for tank rental per commenced week, cf. our Terms of Agreement.

For shipments outside the EU, a pro forma invoice for the return will be included, as this is required by the customs authorities.

Do you have more questions?

Let us help you on your journey towards parenthood. If you want to read about the prices on donor sperm at Cryos, then follow the link. Contact Cryos - we are here to assist you in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish, Japanese, Chinese and Hebrew.

Frequently asked questions about shipping and delivery

Frequently Asked Questions