Sperm Donor Programs

Manhattan CryoBank provides high-quality donor sperm for assisted reproductive procedures. Our goal is to make your donor selection experience as pleasant and easy as possible.Our sperm donors can be:

ID Disclosure	the identity of the donor can be released
Anonymous	the identity of the donor is never known
Directed	a designated friend or a family member

Anonymous and ID Disclosure Sperm Donors
Our donors are recruited from local universities and colleges and are between the ages of 19 and 39. Most of them are undergraduate and graduate students; some are professionals. Due to the rigorous screening process, less than 3% of the applicants are eventually accepted as contributing donors.

Potential sperm donors possessing pleasant and acceptable physical features undergo extensive screening. This includes, but is not limited to, character and personality evaluation, genetic testing, fertility assessment, physical examination and infectious disease testing. Once accepted into the program, the health status of the donor is continually re-assessed.

Manhattan CryoBank takes the health of our donors and our recipients seriously. Before being approved as a donor, every potential donor is required to complete a comprehensive three generation Medical History Questionnaire regarding the health of the donor and the donor’s blood relatives. Also included are questions for high-risk behaviors developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Any affirmative answer to the CDC questions automatically disqualifies a potential donor. To assess sperm count and motility, a semen analysis and test freeze is done on three ejaculates before the donor is accepted. Initial screening includes but is not limited to the following:

• Physical examination for evidence of sexually transmitted disease
• Complete semen analysis
• Blood group and Rh type
• Complete blood count
• Cholesterol and liver function tests
• Urinalysis
• HIV-1/2
• HTLV I/II
• Syphilis Serology (RPR)
• Chlamydia Trachomatis
• Nisseria Gonnorhea
• CMV IgG/IgM antibody
• Hepatitis B Virus surface antigen
• Hepatitis B Virus core antibody
• Hepatitis C Virus antibody

Semen samples from screened and accepted donors are quarantined for a minimum of 180 days and released only after re-testing of the donor for the required infectious disease screening and contingent upon medical director’s approval. Donors are required to update the medical history questionnaires and to have a physical examination every six months.

The following tests are done at three or six-months intervals and are required by the FDA to release samples from quarantine:

• HIV-1/2
• HIV-1 NAT (Nucleic Acid Test)
• HTLV I/II
• Syphilis Serology (RPR)
• Chlamydia Trachomatis
• Nisseria Gonorrhea
• CMV IgG/IgM antibody
• Hepatitis B Virus surface antigen
• Hepatitis B Virus core antibody
• Hepatitis B Virus NAT (Nucleic Acid Test)
• Hepatitis C Virus antibody
• Hepatitis C Virus NAT (Nucleic Acid Test)
• West Nile Virus

All our donors are tested for cystic fibrosis and screened for Thalassemia. All our African American and Mediterranean donors are tested for Sickle Cell Anemia, and all Jewish/French Canadian donors are tested for Tay-Sachs.

Directed (designated) Donors
A directed donor is a friend, a family member or someone who voluntarily donates his sperm for use in assisted reproductive procedures. Another term for directed donor is designated donor. This individual has been personally selected by the couple or the single woman, and is not sexually intimate with the ultimate recipient of the sperm.

Directed donors are screened similarly to anonymous donors before they can be accepted in our program. Candidates must complete a thorough medical history questionnaire; undergo physical examination, semen analysis and various tests for infectious diseases. We recommend that the directed donor have a semen analysis performed with cyrosurvival (Test Freeze) to evaluate the quality of his specimens before proceeding. The semen analysis can be done during the initial consultation appointment as long as there is abstinence of any type of ejaculation for a period of 2-5 days.

Semen samples are cryopreserved (stored) in our facility and quarantined for at least six months. When the quarantine period is over, the directed donor must be re-tested for infectious diseases. All results must be within normal range prior to the release of vials for assisted reproduction.
Manhattan CryoBank prefers that both the donor and the recipient be present for an initial consultation, at which time the storage agreement and consent forms will be completed. Please contact us to schedule an appointment.

Donor Profiles
Manhattan CryoBank maintains a comprehensive and varied list of carefully selected donors. Patients and physicians can choose the donor whose profile best meets their desired characteristics. The donor catalog provides information on current donors in a short profile that is available online free of charge. In the short profile you can find donor attributes such as race, ethnicity, blood type, physical characteristics, educational and occupational achievements. The catalog indicates the type of donor, i.e. anonymous vs. ID disclosure, and whether baby pictures or audio recordings are available.

Long donor profiles with additional information such as demographic, personal data, family history as well as the results of any genetic screening performed can be obtained by contacting our office.

Donor Match Consultation
Manhattan CryoBank offers a consultation service during which our Tissue Bank Director or designee will discuss all aspects of donor selection and screening. Furthermore, we will assist you in choosing a donor that looks as close as possible to your spouse or the individual of your liking.

Siblings program
Once pregnancy is achieved, additional vials from the particular donor used can be purchased for future inseminations. In this case, a storage fee will apply depending on the length of the storage.

We Keep You Informed
Manhattan CryoBank reports any significant changes or new developments in the donor’s medical history immediately to the recipients and their physicians.

CYTOMEGALOVIRUS TESTING
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the herpes virus family. In healthy adults and children, this virus, spread through contact with infected secretions, can cause mild flu-like symptoms that resolve without complications. However, infection of a fetus during pregnancy can cause serious problems. Nearly all adults will be exposed to CMV in their lifetime. All Manhattan CryoBank donors are tested for the antibody to CMV that detects current or past infection. If the antibody test (IgG) is negative, the donor is presumed not to have been previously infected and is re-tested at regular intervals. If positive, further testing is performed to rule out a current infection. All Manhattan CryoBank donors are CMV IgM negative which indicates no current infection.

CYSTIC FIBROSIS
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive condition that is more common among Caucasian individuals. Individuals affected with CF have a chronic illness that typically includes severe lung disease and gastrointestinal problems that result in a shortened lifespan. All donors, regardless of ethnicity, are screened to see if they are carriers for CF.

THALASSEMIA
Thalassemia is an autosomal recessive genetic (inherited) disorder, part of a spectrum of diseases called the hemoglobinopathies, which involve underproduction of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen to the cells of our bodies. Individuals affected with thalassemia generally have a severe anemia, and may require frequent blood transfusions and other medical surveillance over the course of their lifetimes. Some types of thalassemia may result in a shortened lifespan, or death in infancy. All our donors undergo a blood test called a complete blood count that looks at the size, shape and amount of a person’s blood cells that detects some, but not all, individuals who carry alterations in their hemoglobin that could cause the genetic conditions alpha-thalassemia or beta-thalassemia in their offspring.

TAY-SACHS DISEASE
Tay-Sachs Disease is an autosomal recessive condition that is more common among individuals with Ashkenazi Jewish or French Canadian ancestry. Tay-Sachs disease is a progressive neurological disorder that begins in infancy with the loss of developmental milestones and typically results in death by age 5, although some children will survive longer.

SICKLE CELL ANEMIA
Sickle Cell Anemia is an autosomal recessive condition that is more common among individuals of African ancestry. Sickle cell disease is a disorder that affects hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen to the cells of our bodies. Affected individuals can have painful episodes of joint and bone pain, and are at increased risk for strokes and infections. All donors with African ancestry are screened to see if they are carriers for sickle cell disease with a diagnostic laboratory test called hemoglobin electrophoresis that can detect many, but not all, clinically significant differences in a person’s hemoglobin.

CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS
Chromosomes are found in the cells of our bodies, and they are the packages for our genes. Genes contain the genetic information that directs how our bodies will grow, develop and function. Typically, an analysis of human chromosomes (also called a karyotype) reveals a total of 46 chromosomes per cell. A chromosome analysis will only give us information about the number and structure of the chromosomes present. It will not give us information about specific genes. Infrequently, healthy and normal individuals carry chromosome rearrangements that are referred to as balanced translocations. Balanced translocations typically do not cause any health problems for the person with the translocation. However, people with balanced translocations are at increased risk for infertility, miscarriage and more serious chromosome problems in their children.

For more information regarding next steps or to schedule an appointment please contact our office.