Donor Testing and Screening

Excellence in Testing

We Test and Screen Donors More Than Others

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
Mental Health Assessment performed by a Licensed Ph.D. Psychologist

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

Family History Review

All donors are required to complete a four-generation family medical history.
Each medical history is reviewed by both an experienced certified genetic counselor and a medical doctor.
Eligibility is determined based on Seattle Sperm Bank’s criteria and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s donor eligibility recommendations.
Personal and family medical histories for each approved donor are available to customers for review.
Certified genetic counselors are available to discuss any questions or concerns regarding the family history of donors at no charge.

Genetic Testing

As of December 2022, all incoming donor applicants undergo the following genetic testing:

1. Karyotype/ Chromosome Analysis: For individuals who are assigned male at birth, a normal karyotype result is 46,XY, meaning the individual has 46 total chromosomes including one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. All donors are required to have a normal karyotype or a normal variant without clinical consequence.

2. A carrier screening panel including up to 515 autosomal recessive diseases. This panel includes up to 515 genes including the diseases that are currently recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG).

The Evolution of Carrier Screening

Over the past ten years carriers screening has expanded rapidly as the cost of genetic testing has decreased and the knowledge of genetic conditions has increased. For this reason, some of Seattle Sperm Bank’s donors have had more comprehensive screening than others. The size of the panel coincides with the year that the donor entered our donation program. As a result, not all donors have been tested for the same conditions or with the same methods. Genetic test results for each donor are available on each donor’s profile page.

Our online Donor Search function has an advanced search tool where a user can filter for available donors who are negative for any combination of genes/diseases.

Requesting Additional Genetic Testing

If you are a carrier for any disease that is not covered by our testing, the SSB Genetics Team can help coordinate testing for a donor. Please contact our genetic counseling team at Genetics@SeattleSpermBank.com to discuss additional testing on any of our donors.