3 Steps to Follow: #1 Choose your Donor
Choosing the ideal sperm donor typically takes several weeks as you review all your options. Your physician may have some recommended sperm banks for you to consider. Sperm Banks are often called ‘Cryobanks’ because they store frozen (cryopreserved) specimens. Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc has an online donor list you can search and sort with your preferences. There are also personalized services that make the selection process easier that you can access by phone, email or chat.
Donors have detailed family and personal medical histories for your review. They undergo extensive screening including thorough medical examinations and testing for genetic diseases and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. The FDA regulates the donor screening process and all sperm banks must comply and pass regular inspections. Testing standards between sperm banks differ, as some do more than the FDA requires so you may want to investigate this before choosing a sperm bank. We accept less than 1% of those who apply to become donors as we have exceptionally high standards for semen quality, healthy family and medical history and infectious and genetic disease testing.
For the donors that make it through the screening process, extensive donor information is available online. Not only can you select a donor based on physical characteristics and ethnic background, you can to listen to audio interviews, look at childhood and adult photographs, read personality profiles and essays, and even learn what our staff thinks of the donors they work with every day. Personal profiles include education, talents and many other unique aspects of the donor. Medical histories review health issues for the donor and his extended family. Donors who have been available for at least six months often have a history of a proven pregnancy.
