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Fertility Blogs
I Ask You: Where Do the Hollywood Elite Get Their Sperm?
a blog by Lori Shandle-Fox, April 1, 2013
It's the new trend. Everyone in Hollywood is talking publicly about their fertility issues. The infertility bandwagon. Only those longing for limelight could aspire to jump on it. (The rest of us spend every waking moment figuring out a way to jump the hell off of it.) I'm not saying lots of celebrities don't really need fertility treatments. Or that some of the need could have been averted if they hadn't abused their bodies for years with bizarre diets so they could be translucent in a bikini. Or that maybe some of the 30 year old starlets are really 45 and their eggs have turned to star-dust (sorry).
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The Bachelor Sean Lowe's Sperm Donation Story
a blog by Claire, March 3, 2013
Sean Lowe, better known as The Bachelor, planned to become a sperm donor just a few years ago. According to reports, Lowe offered to donate sperm to help his sister and her husband become parents.
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Monica Cruz Dishes on Donor Sperm Pregnancy
a blog by Claire, January 14, 2013
In a world where celebrities often deny their fertility struggles and swear they have used their own eggs to get pregnant well into their forties, it is very refreshing to hear celebrities openly discuss their use of fertility treatment to get pregnant.
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Why Sperm Banks Can’t Exist Without Donor Coordinators
a blog by Cappy Rothman, MD, Medical Director, California Cryobank November 22, 2011
When sperm banks are discussed in the news or media, usually little is said about the wonderful people employed by the sperm banks. One of the most important roles at a sperm bank is that of the donor coordinator. Deeply involved throughout the sperm donor qualification process, coordinators work with sperm donors to help them fill out their profiles, gather information and generally guide them through the qualification process.
Establishing a good relationship with each donor is integral to ensuring the coordinator and sperm donor work together to help highlight the donor’s unique characteristics. For example, a simple conversation with a donor coordinator might help a sperm donor remember memories, facts about family members and stories he has forgotten. The sperm donor then has something great or important to share that he did not have prior, making the profile more personal and giving the client another glimpse into the donor’s personality.
150 Half Siblings through Sperm Donation?
a blog by Donor Diva, October 5, 2011
To read more Donor Diva: Let's Talk Egg Donation blogs, CLICK HERE.
Have you heard about this? A sperm donor has helped create AT LEAST 150 children.
Using an anonymous egg donor has always concerned me a little, but it is reassuring to know that it is more difficult for a woman to donate eggs than for a man to donate sperm. But there is always that concern in the back of your mind — how many half siblings are out there?
As far as I know, my fertility clinic only lets their egg donors go through three to four cycles. In my case, we did a shared cycle (one egg donor to more than one recipient). If the other recipients were as lucky as me, there could be one, two or more half-siblings out there from that one cycle alone. Also, if the recipients have any frozen embryos, there is the possibility of yet another half-sibling. Where does that leave us?
A Sperm Bank Responds to Critics
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., September 13, 2011
To read more of Michelle Ottey's Adventures in Donor Sperm blogs, CLICK HERE.
A recent article on sperm donation did not accurately reflect the way that sperm banks now distribute sperm or the way that we provide information to clients and their offspring. Every reputable sperm bank, for instance, adheres to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) guidelines for distribution of an individual donor's sperm based on population genetics. Most sperm banks also have their own internal limits on donor production and distribution to avoid creating very large sibling groups.
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Genetic Disease Screening at Sperm Banks
a blog by Cappy Rothman, MD, Medical Director, California Cryobank August 4, 2011
To read more of Cappy Rothman's Sperm Bank 101 blogs, CLICK HERE.
Sperm banks don’t just help you build your family; they invest in the health of your children. One of the ways they may do this is by performing a genetic evaluation of each sperm donor’s family medical history.
A three-generation family history evaluation by a trained professional such as a genetic counselor can identify risks for inherited disease and determine what genetic tests should be performed on a particular sperm donor. This is one step of the process sperm banks can use to screen their donors for genetic diseases.
Accuracy in Sperm Bank Pregnancy Tracking
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., July 6, 2011
To read more of Michelle Ottey's Adventures in Donor Sperm blogs, CLICK HERE.
Sperm banks are often criticized in regard to tracking pregnancies and limiting the number of pregnancies per sperm donor. Admittedly, this is a tricky area for those of us in the field because once the donor sperm is shipped from our facility, there is nothing we can do to require clinics or recipients to report pregnancy outcomes back to us.
ID Sperm Donors Differ from Sperm Bank to Sperm Bank
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., June 29, 2011
What Is a Sperm Donor's Motivation?
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., June 22, 2011
I am often asked about what motivates a man to become a sperm donor. In my experience over the past five years, I have found the answer to that question to be as diverse as the sperm donors themselves.
The Personal Touch in Donor Sperm
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., June 1, 2011
I recently had a fantastic experience with a couple (I will call them Marie and Judy) who had found their perfect sperm donor match.
Marie contacted us via our client services department to thank us for our patience and wonderful client service after calling every single day for a month to see if the wait list for this particular sperm donor opened up. I appreciate feedback from our patients, so I contacted her to thank her, and we began emailing about their experience.
Top 5 Characteristics Used to Choose a Sperm Donor
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., May 24, 2011
When people are choosing a sperm donor they tend to know what they are looking for in that match. Thankfully, most sperm banks have a lot of information available to make the search easier.
The Perfect Sperm Donor?
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., May 17, 2011
To start, there really is no “perfect” sperm donor, but they come pretty close! When we are recruiting prospective sperm donors we are looking for many physical and personal characteristics that will be appealing to our patients. These traits are variable. When we screen these prospective sperm donors’ specimens, we are strict, precise and hold high standards.
Environmental Effects on Sperm
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., May 10, 2011
Spermatogenesis is the process through which immature germinal stem cells are differentiated into mature sperm. This process is incredibly involved and takes approximately 60 days.*
Sperm Storage: Have You Wondered How Sperm Survive the Thaw?
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., May 3, 2011
Most people do not think about long-term storage for sperm, but the people who work at sperm banks do.
Beware of 'Gray Market' Sperm Donors
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., March 3, 2011
We all have choices to make about building our families. Some choose to have children, and some choose to be wonderful aunts and uncles or mentors. If you want to build your family and have a biological child using donor sperm, I urge you to do your research on sperm donation and understand that there are significant risks if you work with what is being called a “gray market donor.”
Staying in Touch with Older Sperm Donors
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., February 24, 2011
Every sperm bank presents a medical profile of some sort for their donors. This profile usually presents the medical and genetic health of the sperm donor and of his first and second degree relatives. When a sperm donor is actively participating in a donor program he will be young, healthy, and have relatively young parents. The medical profile is often just a snapshot in time, but it needs to be more. It really needs to be a living profile.
We work with our sperm donors while they are actively participating in the donor program, and in the six months after they stop, to collect blood samples and screen their general health. If anything changes with their health or the family’s health while they are active, it is easy to update their profile. Historically some sperm banks stopped updating the donor’s medical profile when a sperm donor was finished with the program.
Who Gets the Sperm?
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., December 22, 2010
Not all sperm donors are alike. When screening for sperm donors, sperm banks are looking for a good, diverse, representative group of men who will appeal to our patients.
The staff meets the prospective sperm donors and works with them through the screening process. At our labs we do in person medical and program interviews with the prospective donors. It is during these interviews that we really start to get to know the men and they open up to us.
Sperm Donors Wanted ...
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., December 9, 2010
Most people have seen ads for sperm donors at some point: in a newspaper, online, billboards, or subway ads. Did you ever wonder exactly what happens when someone is interested or how accurate the promise of compensation is for those who are interested in sperm donation?
If so, I can clear that right up for you.
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A Picture Is Worth 10 Million Sperm
a blog by Cappy Rothman, MD, Medical Director, California Cryobank November 30, 2010
Every holiday season I am reminded that I have the greatest job in the world. Being a male fertility specialist and operating a sperm bank for 30+ years, I have had the opportunity to help tens of thousands men and women achieve their dreams of starting a family.
While there are many thanks and smiles and hugs along the way, nothing ever hits me like the flood of cards and photos we are fortunate enough to receive every December. It is an honor and privilege to have touched all these lives.
I will never forget one family in particular who did one better when it came to their holiday card ...
Step by Step
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., November 24, 2010
This past weekend I had brunch with a very good friend. She is in a good place in her life and in her relationship of 10 years with her partner, so she is seriously considering building a family.
Being in a same-sex relationship means that she and her partner will have to use donor sperm to conceive. It is both exciting and overwhelming for them, and like many couples in the first stages of the journey, they don’t even know where to start.
Donor Sperm — It's Worth the Cost
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., November 18, 2010
Donor sperm pricing varies by sperm bank, but generally speaking donor sperm is not cheap. It shouldn’t be. Donor sperm that will be used for an artificial insemination (IUI) or for in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be produced from the best donors, have the most testing and be a quality specimen.
Sperm Banking for Personal Use
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., October 22, 2010
Parenthood Is a Brave Journey
a blog by Michelle Ottey, PhD, Director of Operations, Fairfax Cryobank and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., October 15, 2010
I had a family party this weekend where I was able to spend time with my nieces and nephews. These are great kids that range from 2 to 8 years of age. We talked, played, danced and sang together. They are a lot of fun, but not without challenges. Whenever I spend time with them I gain a greater appreciation for the work, commitment and energy it takes to be a parent.
'The Switch' Brings Idea of Donor Sperm into Better Focus
Last week I finally got to the movies to see The Switch with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. I thought it was very entertaining and also interesting.
The Plot
If you haven’t seen it, the basic plot is that Kassie, a single woman in NYC, decides that she is ready to have a child even though she hasn’t found a man to spend her life with and plans to use a known sperm donor. Her best friend, the neurotic Wally, is not a fan of this plan.
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