Donor Testing and Screening

Seattle Sperm Bank tests and screens donors more than any other sperm bank. We pioneered the Genetic Carrier Screening, and have continuously expanded our screening panels on various levels.

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 Foresight Carrier Screen, which includes testing for 175 conditions.

Over the years, we have expanded our genetic testing of donors as genetic knowledge and technology continue to advance. As a result, not all donors have been tested for the same conditions or with the same methods. However, all donors have undergone screening and testing for the conditions listed here, if not more.

If patients know they are carriers for conditions not covered by our testing, we are very accommodating in helping them get a donor tested for that condition. Our online Donor Search function has an advanced search tool where carrier screening results can be used for filtering our available donors, based on carrier screening results.