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The following conditions
immediately disqualify a potential donor from donating sperm:
Men who have a history of
certain diseases in the family (i.e. cystic fibrosis, sickle cell
anemia, etc.) cannot donate sperm.
Homosexual men and men who
have had sex with other men cannot donate sperm.
Intravenous drug users are
automatically disqualified.
Men who have visited areas
where considerable numbers of AIDS cases have been reported and have
had sex with either women or men living there are prohibited from
donating.
Applicants go through a
rigorous screening process before they are cleared to donate sperm.
Donor screening consists of questionnaires, blood screening,
specimen screening, genetic analysis and a physical evaluation.
This process includes:
Comprehensive interviews
about sexual behavior, family background and reasons for
participating in the sperm donation program.
An extensive family history
(spanning in some cases, three generations), is taken and evaluated.
The semen is analyzed for
sperm cell count, forward sperm cell motility, and normal sperm
morphology.
The candidate is tested for
infectious diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C (and
others).
ABO-Rh blood typing.
Genetic testing for cystic
fibrosis.
This screening process takes
from 8 weeks to 6 months depending on the situation. If the man is
accepted to donate, he will be paid from $250 to $500 for each semen
sample. |
