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Vial Special: Buy 1, get 1 free! Second Vial must be of equal or lesser value and of the same donor. Does not include ART vials.
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Donor Screening

Donor Screening

Knowing that your dreams for a happy, healthy baby all begin with your choice of a donor, we screen potential donors with extraordinary care. With very strict quality control standards, our donor program admits fewer than 1 in 20 donor applicants. Our goal is to offer you a wide range of truly exceptional donors. It’s no coincidence that our headquarters are in the Boston area, home to some of the world’s top universities such as Harvard and MIT, from which we draw many of our carefully selected donors.

Choosing the Best Donors

Our donors are chosen based on several important criteria. Donors must be between the ages of 18 and 38 and meet our required sperm count. They must have a degree from a 4-year college or be in pursuit of one. Excellent health plays a critical role in choosing donors – each potential donor must complete a lengthy health profile, which includes three generations of family medical history. Our medical director and laboratory staff also evaluate potential donors based on intelligence, physical characteristics, appearance and personality.

Testing

Prospective donors must pass a thorough physical exam conducted by our medical director, and complete rigorous testing of semen, blood and urine. Once the initial physical and blood work are completed, a donor’s semen specimen is frozen and quarantined for six months, after which the donor is again tested for a variety of infectious diseases, prior to specimen release. Specimens are screened to assure that each vial contains a minimum of 15 million motile spermatozoa for an ICI specimen, or 10 million for an IUI specimen.



No specimen is released until the donor has been tested for the following diseases or disease indicators:

  • Hepatitis B surface antigen
  • Hepatitis B core antibody
  • Gonorrhea (GC)
  • Syphilis
  • Hepatitis C virus
  • Cystic fibrosis (please note that not all donors have been tested for the same number of CF mutations. Please call and speak with a New England Cryogenic Center customer representative to find out the specific number of mutations tested on your donor of choice)
  • Chlamydia trachomatis
  • HIV-1 and HIV-2
  • HTLV-1 and HTLV-2
  • B-thalassemia*
  • Tay-Sachs carrier screen*
  • Sickle cell carrier screen*
  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV antibody)

* These tests are conducted on donors from specific ethnic groups.

PLEASE NOTE: New England Cryogenic Center donors are tested for communicable diseases and genetic conditions according to state and federal regulations at the time of donation. Please contact a New England Cryogenic Center client service representative if you have questions regarding testing performed on specific donors.

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