Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART, is a term that covers all technical procedures or services devoted to helping women achieve pregnancy through artificial insemination.
The American Association of Tissue Banks, or AATB, is a national association that issues guidelines for and accredits tissue banks, including reproductive tissue banks like sperm banks. It is a voluntary accreditation.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) is an organization created to advance the "art, science, and practice of reproductive medicine."
It provides a forum for lay public, researchers, physicians and affiliated health workers through education, publications, and meetings. Founded in 1944, its initial name was the American Fertility Society (AFS).
The science dealing with the structures, functions, and disorders of the male reproductive system. It is estimated that about 40% to 50% of fertility problems in couples are due to sperm-related problems. Andrology labs usually perform various semen analyses to determine health and viability of sperm.
"Autosomal recessive" refers to a specific pattern of inheritance. If a disorder is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, it means an individual has to inherit two mutations of the disorder, one from each parent, in order to be affected by it.
A person who has only one recessive gene is said to be a "carrier" for the trait or disease, but they do not have any health problems from "carrying" one copy of the gene. However, they could have a child affected with this disorder if their partner also carries a mutation for that same condition. This is the case with genetic disorders like SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), Tay Sachs Disease, Cystic Fibrosis and Sickle Cell Anemia.
Most people do not know they carry a recessive gene for a disease until they have a child with the disease. Most banks screen for Tay Sachs (primarily on Jewish donors) and Cystic Fibrosis. Others may test for Sickle Cell Anemia but the only bank currently testing for SMA is California Cryobank.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a very common viral infection. About 50-80% of all adults in the US show evidence of previous CMV infection.
In healthy individuals it causes a mild transitory infection with few or no symptoms. Recovery is rapid with no lasting manifestations. Once a CMV infection occurs, that individual remains antibody positive for life.
If a woman has postitive CMV antibodies and gets pregnant, it can cause serious birth defects in the developing fetus. The mother usually has only mild symptoms and recovers rapidly.
Donors who have had a CMV infection and recovered are described as "CMV positive" or "CMV+". They are referred to as having an inactive or latent infection.
Such donors are healthy and do not transmit CMV to sexual partners or household contacts. Virtually all new CMV infections are acquired from other persons who have an active CMV infection.
Some physicians believe that CMV positive donors present some risk to CMV negative recipients but there seems to be little scientific evidence to support that concept. Consult with your physician regarding your own CMV status.
A tissue bank that provides storage of cells and tissues at ultra low temperatures using liquid nitrogen. The temperature of liquid nitrogen is about -196 C or -324 F.
The storage of cells and tissues in liquid nitrogen.
A chemical component of a freezing solution used in cryopreservation. The purpose of the cryoprotectant is to help protect the semen from freeze damage.
This is one of the most common severe genetic disorders that occur in people of European origin. The carrier rate is about 1 in 24 persons of northern European ancestry. Carriers are healthy and have no symptoms.
For a child to be affected both parents must be carriers. In this situation, the risk of having an affected child is about one in four.
Sperm banks generally perform carrier testing on their donors, but the majority don't test for every mutation.
If you are known to be a carrier for CF, genetic counseling is recommended. Consult your physician for further information and inform the sperm bank about your situation.
A directed donor is a known or "private" donor. The directed donor may be a relative of the husband or an individual that you know.
Some sperm banks have "directed donor programs" that will assist you in the required testing and processing. The potential donor will need to have a semen analysis before proceeding because his sperm count and motility may not be satisfactory.
The FDA requires that all donors must under go the same infectious disease testing that regular donors must have.
This is defined as a fertilized egg. In humans, the fertilized egg is usually called an embryo from the time the egg is fertilized until the eighth week of development, after which it is called a fetus.
Reproductive cells (sperm in men, ovum in women) that can form a cell or zygote (see zygote) by uniting.
Intra-Cervical Insemination: this is a method of insemination where the sperm specimen is placed in direct contact with the cervix.
Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection or ICSI is the injection of a single sperm into the egg. This may be performed in the laboratory as a part of the IVF procedure.
It requires the use of special micromanipulation tools and microscopes which enable embryologists to select an individual sperm cell which is then carefully injected into cytoplasm of the egg.
These results in normal fertilization in approximately 70-85% of eggs injected with viable sperm.
A sperm donor who has agreed that the sperm bank may release his identity directly to the donor conceived child at age18 without further consent or notification of donor.
Some legal experts have offered the opinion that the donor has a legal right to withdraw his consent for disclosure.
“Open Donor” is frequently used interchangeably with ID release donors. Direct contact with the sperm bank is advised to avoid confusion.
Intra-Uterine Insemination is a method of insemination which places washed sperm directly into the uterus by passing a catheter through the cervical canal.
Washing sperm cells is necessary to remove the seminal fluid which contains compounds that cause painful uterine cramping. Proper timing of insemination is important with IUI.
Pregnancy rates are generally higher with IUI than ICI.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the process by which human eggs are fertilized in an embryology laboratory.
Fertilization of an egg ordinarily requires a living, motile sperm that can swim into the fallopian tube where the sperm binds to the egg and penetrates the outer membranes. The stronger the sperm, the faster it swims.
Motility is an estimate of the percentage of motile sperm and is a measure of fertility potential of the donor’s sperm.
Some sperm banks will accept a photo of yourself or your partner, and then try to find a donor with similar features/appearance. This service is called "photo matching" and ranges in price.
Semen is fluid from the penis that comes through the urethra upon ejaculation; it contains sperm.
Sickle cell anemia is a disorder of hemoglobin which is the molecule that carries oxygen in our blood cells. Symptoms include episodes of joint and bone pain and increased risks for strokes, infections, and organ damage. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and occurs most often among individuals of African descent.
On our web site, we use the term "sperm bank" for any place that provides donor sperm to the public.
Some sperm banks are large companies that sell other biological products; others are smaller fertility clinics that also collect and store sperm.
Most of these banks are registered with the FDA but some only provide storage for their patients or for preservation of fertility for cancer patients.
A container resembling a straw that's used to package frozen sperm or other tissue. Some sperm banks package sperm in straws.
Most use vials. Usually a straw or vial contains enough sperm for a single insemination, but you should always confirm with the sperm bank if you're not sure.
Tay-Sachs disease is a severe neurological disorder that causes seizures, blindness, and muscle weakness. Symptoms often begin in infancy and result in death by five years of age.
It is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and occurs most often among individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish and French Canadian ancestry.
The fertilized egg is referred to as a zygote and is composed of a set of chromosomes from each parent. The zygote develops into an embryo.