What is CMV Status?

CMV stands for cytomegalovirus. It is a common virus that can infect anyone, anytime.

Donors who have had a CMV infection, but not an active one during the time of donation,  will have a positive (+) CMV status. Sperm donors who have never had a CMV infection will have a negative (-) CMV status. You can see the donors’ CMV status under each profile in the Sperm Donor Search.

Since the donor can donate over an extended period of time, and since they are all tested before and after donation, the donor’s CMV status can change from negative to positive. The samples which he has donated in the period where he has had a positive infection are disposed of and we do not accept new donations until the screening results show that the virus is no longer active.

An infection with CMV is mostly harmless. However, if a fetus is infected with CMV during pregnancy, the fetus could be at risk. Because of the regular sperm donor screening and the clean-up of sperm for IUI treatment, the risk is considered extremely low.

If you are concerned about CMV, we recommend that you are screened for it and discuss your results with your doctor.

You can read more about CMV in this blog post.