Donor Testing and Screening

Initially our donors are selected by our sperm bank staff, based on a number of parameters:

  • Sperm Quality
  • Age
  • Personality
  • Education
  • Criminal Background Check
  • 4 Generation Family Health History

Further screening includes blood and urine analysis:

  • Physical Exam every 6 months (including EKG)
  • Chemistry Panel
  • Complete Blood Count
  • Urinalysis
  • ABO-Rh Blood typing
  • HIV
  • HTLV I/II
  • Hemoglobin Fractionation
  • Hepatitis B Surface Antigen
  • Hepatitis B Core Antibody
  • Hepatitis C Viral Antibody
  • Syphilis
  • CMV IgG/IgM
  • Chlamydia
  • Gonorrhea

The genetic testing we do includes the following:

  • 4 generation family medical history, which is reviewed by a trained genetic specialist and a medical doctor (all donors)
  • Cystic Fibrosis screening
    →  Up to 97 mutations on donors with optional advanced testing.
    →  32 standard mutations tested on all donors include:

G85E                     A455E                   S549N                  R1162X                711+1 G→T

R117H                  ∆I507                    S549R                   W1282X              2789+5 G→A

R334W                 ∆F508                   G551D                 N1303K               1717-I G→A

R347H                  V520F                   R553X                  394delTT             1898+1 G→A

R347P                   G542X                  R560T                  3876delA             2183AA→G

2184delA            3905insT            1078delT            621+1 G→T       3120+1 G→A

3659delC           3849+10kb C→T

  • Chromosome analysis (all donors)
  • Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) (all donors)
  • Sickle Cell Disease. For all donors a Hemoglobin Fractionation analysis is done to detect this indirectly.
  • Thalassemia (all donors). A Hemoglobin Fractionation analysis is done to detect this indirectly. Please contact us if you would like to have your donor genetically screened for carrier status.
  • Bloom Syndrome (donors with Azhkenazi Jewish Ancestry)
  • Canavan disease (donors with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry)
  • Familial Dysautonomia (donors with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry)
  • Fanconi Anemia type C (donors with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry)
  • Gaucher disease (donors with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry)
  • Niemann-Pick type A disease (donors with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry)
  • Tay-Sachs disease (donors with Ashkenazi Jewish or French Canadian ancestry)

 

Extended Genetic Testing:

Seattle Sperm Bank is proud to offer Counsyl’s Universal Carrier Screening (102 conditions tested) on all donors who entered our program since August 2016!