Regardless of whether the donor sperm comes from a commercial sperm bank or from the clinic’s own donors, the infertility specialists and clinics should be following the recommendations of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and use only frozen sperm. Consider asking the sperm bank the following questions:

 

 What is the age range of the donors?

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 If requested, will the sperm bank work with a donor who the couple provides? If so, will the sperm bank work with an out-of-state donor?

 

 How much non-identifying information about the donor does the sperm bank provide to the consumer?

 

 Do they have donors who are open to contact in the future?

 

 Does the sperm bank keep a medical history of the donor?

 

 How long are medical records kept for each donor?

 

 Are donors screened or tested for these medical conditions and what is the sperm bank’s policy if the donor is found positive for any of these:

 

• Sickle Cell Anemia

• Syphilis

• Hepatitis B and C

• Tay-Sachs Disease

• HIV I and II

• Mycoplasma​

• HTLV Type I and II

• Thalassemia

• Herpes

• B-Strep

• Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

• Genital Warts

• Cystic Fibrosis

• Gonorrhea

• Chlamydia

• Multiple Sclerosis

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 Does the sperm bank check the donor's blood type? (Women who are Rh negative will need a donor who is also Rh negative.)

 

 Does the sperm bank screen donors for drug use?

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 What genetic tests are done on the donor?

 

 Does the sperm bank screen the donors for the breast cancer gene (185delAG) in Ashkenazi Jewish donors?

 

 Does the sperm bank screen the donors for the autosomal recessive disorder Alpha-1 antitrypsin?

 

 Does the sperm bank keep track of the number of pregnancies per donor?

 

 Does the sperm bank offer a service for adult children conceived through DI to gain access to the donor's medical records if necessary?

 

 If the quality (motility and number of sperm specimen) is inadequate after thawing, what steps should the patient/clinic take?

 

 Does the sperm bank provide sperm that is ready for intrauterine insemination if requested?
 

 Will the sperm bank store frozen sperm so that a client can use the same donor for a second child?

 

 What are the costs for storing sperm?