Choosing a Donor

How to Choose

All the hopes and dreams you have for your child begin here.  It’s an exciting time and wondrous time, not only for you as a prospective parent, but also for us as well.  Helping you select a donor is one of the most fulfilling aspects of our work.  That’s why we’ve put so much effort into providing one of the largest and most diverse donor catalogs in North America, and why we’re pleased to offer caring professional assistance to help you confidently select the right donor.   

You can start the donor selection process by browsing our donor catalog and reviewing donor profiles online.  When you have questions or need a little guidance, we are ready to provide any assistance you may need.

Browse the catalog

While we’re pleased to offer one of the largest and most diverse donor catalogs in North America, we are even prouder of the quality of our donors.  Our location amidst several of the top universities in the world allows us to select donors with exceptional intellects as well as outstanding physical health.

The easiest way to get started choosing a donor is by viewing our online catalog of donors, which gives you immediate access to donor information.  You can browse the catalog in table format, or use our advanced search functions to find donors that match the specific physical characteristics you’re seeking.

Review the profiles

The catalog provides an easy-to-read overview of each donor as well as links to donor profiles.  For your convenience we offer two kinds of donor profiles:

• Short Donor Profiles are one-page summaries of the health history, physical characteristics and professional and personal interests of each donor.  These are free and can be downloaded in PDF format.

• Long Donor Profiles are 10 – 17 pages of extremely detailed information including a complete medical history, extensive physical descriptions, and personal information about hobbies and interests provided by the donors themselves.  Full Donor Profiles are available at a small additional cost, and can be ordered on this web site or over the phone by calling 800-991-4999.

Here are some things to consider when you’re looking at profiles:

Physical Characteristics

The most obvious choice in donors involves the physical characteristics of race, ethnicity, body type, skin tone, and more.  You can search for donors with specific physical characteristics using our advanced search feature.

Specimen Types

There are three basic types of donor specimens:

• IUI - Intrauterine prepared specimens: washed specimens ready for Intra-Uterine Insemination
• ICI - Intracervical prepared specimens: non-washed specimens ready for Intra-Cervical Insemination
• ART – Assisted reproductive technology, used for IVF, ICSI, GIFT and ZIFT procedures

You should discuss the choice of specimen type with your physician or health care professional. 

Blood type

Donor blood type may be important to you if:

• You don’t plan on telling your child he or she was conceived with donated sperm
• Your own blood type is Rh-negative.  Women who are Rh-negative may develop antibodies to a fetus that is Rh-positive. 

We strongly encourage you to discuss blood type matters with your physician or health care professional. 

Release of Donor Identity Program

A number of our donors have chosen to participate in the Open Donor Identity Program. This means that the donor has agreed to have his identity released to any offspring, once the offspring turns 18. Many parents believe it is important to give their children the chance to discover more about their biological fathers. Find out more

Get professional assistance

To help you find the best donor match, we offer a number of specialized services at a small additional cost:

Photo Matching

Our specialists will match as closely as possible a donor’s profile to a photo that you supply.

Characteristic Match

We can assist in matching specific characteristics you are seeking.  Simply download a Characteristic Matching Form from the Form Center and fax or mail it to us, and we will send you the top two or three recommendations.

Consultation

Our professional staff is always available to meet directly with you in person or by phone to review donor information and help find the best match.  A consultation fee will apply.

Inventory Search

If you have had a child using specimens from a specific donor and want to have a second child with the same donor but our catalog does not show any available specimens, we can perform an extensive inventory search. While we can make no guarantees, it is possible that a search may discover vials of your selected specimen that are owned by another client but unused, and which might be made available to you.