Purchasing Donor Sperm

This is one question we get quite frequently. Where do I start?

This may seem like a confusing time but ultimately you are wanting to start or grow your family so it will be a exciting milestone in your life!

Essentially to get starting we recommend contacting a fertility clinic to begin your journey. We have lots of recommendations and will be happy to guide you in the right direction.
Additionally, you have the option to do at-home insemination and although we do not recommend this path it is still an option and we have seen success with a vaginal insemination.

Prior to releasing any vials either for clinic insemination you will need to have our Clinic Release Form complete by your physician. You can find that form HERE.

Once this form is completed and returned back to us we can release the vials for both clinic and at-home insemination.

At-Home Insemination:

A Clinic Release form is only required for home insemination if you are shipping to the state of New York. In New York, a Clinic Release will need to be completed by a physician, nurse or midwife.

Which vial should I use?

Currently the majority of our donors have washed vials only. Washed vials are IUI-ready sperm samples. These samples have been processed for intrauterine insemination (IUI), but it is safe and effective to use them for IVF and vaginal insemination as well. Many of our recipients have reported pregnancies from IVF and vaginal insemination using IUI-ready samples.

You will want to purchase your vial(s) at least one week prior to your scheduled insemination. By planning ahead you will ensure your vials are ready to use when you are ready to use them.

How much does it cost?

Here are some estimated costs of getting a sperm donor:
Donor Sperm: $649.00 IUI/ICI
Shipping: $200 for 1 vial 2+ vials: FREE (check to find current promo code)* | In-state shipping (outside of DFW): $75.00 | Dallas-Fort Worth area clinics: FREE
At-home insemination will have a $50 flat rate tank rental (7-days) or Free with 2+ vial purchase

Total Cost: $649-$849 per cycle using 1-IUI vial
$1298-$1498 for 2-IUI (washed) vials.

If you have any questions on how to purchase donor sperm feel free to give us a call at 817-945-8708. You can live chat with one of our friendly representatives and they will also be able to assist you.

What is CMV?

CMV stands for cytomegalovirus. It is a virus that can be transmitted to a developing fetus before birth. It is a member of the herpes family of viruses that include mono and chickenpox. The CDC states that nearly 1 in 3 children are already infected with CMV by the age of 5, and by the age of 40 over half of the population is infected.

Primary CMV infection occurs in people who have never been exposed to the CMV virus before. Once a person becomes infected with CMV, the virus remains alive but dormant inside that person’s body for the rest of their lives. Recurrent CMV infection, is when a dormant virus become active again. CMV infection is usually harmless and rarely causes illness. However, for pregnant women, primary CMV infection can cause more serious problems than recurrent CMV infection.

CMV and Using a CMV Donor:

The FDA requires that CMV testing be performed on all men who intend to donate sperm. A positive result however, doesn’t necessarily mean that a man will be ineligible to donate. Cryobank America will obtain semen samples from potential donors and then quarantine those specimens for at least six months. During that time, the man may have CMV antibody levels tested several times. If the antibody tests indicate the possibility of a CMV infection close to the time of the sperm donation, the man will not be allowed to donate those specimens. If the testing is uncertain, those men will also not be allowed to donate those specimens. However, if a donor tests positive for CMV IgG only, indicating a past infection, he will be allowed to donate. Those samples will be labeled in the Cryobank America database as CMV positive.

Recommendations:

A woman who is considering pregnancy with donor semen should have CMV antibody testing as part of their IDT. Those who have had a past infection are at very low risk of transmitting CMV infection to a fetus. And are at little to no risk if they decide to use a CMV positive donor. Women who have never been exposed to CMV should consider using a CMV negative donor. Even though the risk from a CMV positive donor is low it is impossible to determine whether there will be risk for infection.

For additional information on CMV this link is especially helpful:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cmv/symptoms-causes/syc-20355358

If you have any questions regarding CMV please contact us at in**@cr*************.com or at 817-945-8708 and we will be happy to help you out!

Tips and Tricks to Ovulation:

Did you know it’s only possible to become pregnant a few days out of the month? There are about 4 -6 days when a woman can get pregnant, which correlates to the days leading up to ovulation and the day after. Sperm can around five days in a women’s body, but the oocyte (egg) only lasts between 12 and 24 hours! Since, females are wired to rely on so many different hormones, determining when you will be ovulating can be very tricky! I have put together a list of helpful tips and tricks to help you identify the day of ovulation, and subsequently the best day for your insemination.

1. Purchase an ovulation predictor kit (OPK). These kits are designed to help predict the likelihood of ovulation and are available over-the-counter at your local Walgreens or CVS.

2. Download an App on your smartphone to help track your menstrual cycle. Typically, cycles are between 28 - 32 days.

3. Ovulation usually occurs near day 14 (right in the middle of your cycle). This will depend on your personal cycle, so ovulation can occur anywhere from day 11-16.

4. During ovulation, you will notice a change in your vaginal discharge. A clear and stringy discharge (similar in texture to egg whites) indicates you are ovulating or about to begin to ovulate, this will last for about a day.

5. (OPTIONAL) Another method women use is to purchase a basal thermometer to track the vaginal temperature. This should be done BEFORE you get out of bed or it will be inaccurate. This method is not totally necessary if you do all the above mentioned and may sometimes not be accurate, especially if you are sick during any time of your cycle.

For additional information, I recommend visiting the American Pregnancy Association website: http://americanpregnancy.org/getting-pregnant/understanding-ovulation/

I hope this helps!

Different Vial Types:

If you have been curious about using sperm donors to help start your family, you may have gone and looked at the prices of vials and noticed there are several different types available. What is an IUI, ICI, and ICSI vial? This blog will let you know about the differences between each one, so that it can guide you in figuring out which vial is best for you.

The difference between IUI (Intrauterine insemination) and ICI (intracervical Insemination) vials are that IUI vials go through a “washing” procedure utilizing gradient separation methods, resulting in vials that are nothing but the sperm and stabilizing media that’s safe for the uterus is in each IUI vial. At Cryobank America, we guarantee 25 Million cells per milliliter (25M/ml) in our IUI vials, which are sold in in half Mils (0.5ml) units. IUI specimens can be safely placed directly into the uterus by your treating physician because there are no “round” cells or other “junk” in it (that causes cramping). These units are also ideal for use in at-home inseminations (placed near the top of the vagina and cervix). We will give you everything needed as well as instructions to be able to do this if you choose to go that route!

ICI vials are vials that have been washed, but have not undergone gradient separation steps, which remove the non-motile sperm cells, round cells, and other junk found in the ejaculate. At Cryobank America, we guarantee 17 Million cells per milliliter (17M/ml) and are sold in one milliliter (1ml) vials. ICI units are typically used for at-home insemination since these specimens cannot be placed into the uterus (due to severe cramping). Also, some fertility clinics prefer to wash their patient’s specimens in-house (usually at an additional cost to the patient), therefore these units contain one milliliter of specimen as opposed to IUI units, which are sold in half milliliter units (0.5ml). I personally recommend to our clients that they purchase IUI units since they can work for a normal IUI or an at-home insemination if preferred.

A.R.T., or artificial reproductive technology, vials are lower quantity units. At Cryobank America, we guarantee 6-24 M/ml for IUI ART units and 6-16 M/ml for ICI ART units. These vials are priced lower since they contain fewer progressively motile sperm cells.

Lastly, IVF vials, also known as ICSI vials, undergo our wash process and are guaranteed 1-6 Million per milliliter. These units are recommended for clients utilizing in-vitro fertilization or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection procedures, where only a few sperm are needed.

If you still have questions concerning vial type and differences between the types, please contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable Cryobank America staff members today!

Email us at in**@cr*************.com or give us a call at 817-945-8708

All pricing can be found at https://cryobankamerica.com/pricing/