So basically you have to meet extremely stringent requirements:
How CCB Selects Donors For Our Program
At
California Cryobank, we use a stringent screening process and currently
accept into our donor program less than 1% of the men who apply.
To participate in our anonymous program, current donors must:
- be between the ages of 19 and 39
- have graduated from, or be currently attending a 4-year university program
- live commuting distance to one of our laboratories
- commit to the program for 1-2 years / donate 2-3 times a week
- complete a detailed questionnaire, which includes a 3-generation medical and genetic history
- undergo a bi-annual physical examination and blood tests every three months
THE PHONE CALL
The process begins with a phone call to our donor coordinator. She asks
potential donors a few basic questions regarding their height, weight, age
and educational background. She also asks whether he or his parents are
adopted.
These questions are asked for the following reasons:
[*]Donors must be between the ages of 19 and 39. According to the Cryobank's
medical director, Cappy Rothman, MD, "While a man's fertility does not
automatically decline after the age of 39, men under that age are more
likely to consistently produce superior quality of sperm necessary for
successful freezing and thawing." The American Association of Tissue
Banks sets age 39 as the maximum age for donors.
[*]Most
California Cryobank donors attend, or have graduated from a major
4-year university or attend at least 2 years at a 4 year university.
Our donors come from exceptional institutions including University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California
(USC), University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Stanford University,
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
[*]We accept only those men who can provide the medical and genetic
information on themselves and their family members required by the
California Cryobank.
[*]We are looking for donor characteristics that are frequently requested by clients.
[*]Questions are asked regarding specific medical conditions, such as
diabetes and cancer, to begin the screening process.
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THE APPLICATION PROCESS
If a potential donor meets the above listed requirements, our donor
coordinator will ask him to schedule an appointment to complete the
donor application form and provide a semen sample. The semen sample
will then be analyzed to determine whether the donor's semen meets our
standards.
THE SCREENING PROCESS
Once the potential donor's semen sample meets our standards it
generally takes 2 to 3 months for a donor applicant to become a fully
qualified donor. During this period, a potential donor will leave
several sperm samples, complete a three-generation medical and genetic
history (better known as the "long
profile"), meet with several people for interviews, including our
genetic counselor, have a complete physical exam and have various
laboratory tests.
The laboratory tests performed during the initial screening of Cryobank
donors include the following:
Chlamydia NAT
[*] Gonorrhea NAT
[*] CMV antibody (if reactive, additional tests are performed to exclude an active infection)
[*] Hepatitis B Virus surface antigen
[*] Hepatitis B Virus core antibody
[*] Hepatitis C Virus antibody
[*] Hepatitis C Virus NAT
[*] HTLV I/II antibody
[*] HIV1/HIV2 antibody
[*] HIV 1 NAT
[*] Syphilis Serology
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(NAT: Nucleic Acid Test
The following tests are done during the initial screening AND then repeated
every three months:
[*]ALT(SGPT)
[*]Chlamydia
[*]Cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody (IgG & IgM)
[*]Gonorrhea
[*]Hepatitis B surface antigen
[*]Hepatitis B core antibody
[*]Hepatitis C viral antibody
[*]HIV 1/2 antibody
[*]HTLV-I/II antibody
[*]RPR (Syphilis)
[/list]
The majority of potential donors are disqualified due to inadequate semen
specimens. Because a small portion of the sperm is lost in the freezing and
thawing process, a donor's fresh semen samples must meet certain minimum
requirements.
One of our genetic counselors conducts a medical
and genetic interview which includes a review of the long profile
completed by each donor. The long profile includes information about
the health of the donor, his siblings, his parents, his grandparents,
his parent's siblings and his cousins. The medical/family history is
carefully evaluated for any birth defects or known genetic conditions.
A donor applicant is disqualified
from participation in the donor program if there is a family history
which indicates that the man's offspring may be at increased risk for a
birth defect or known genetic condition. If the genetic counselor,
donor manager, laboratory manager, and the medical director are
satisfied that the man is a good candidate for our donor program, he is
given a number and
is admitted into our program.