CRYOBANK

Sperm donation program

We organized a cryobank to provide our patients with anonymous frozen donor semen that has high standard of genetic and infectious donor screening and sperm quality.

Selection of donors, screening and storage of sperm is according to the guidelines of the ASRM and ESHRE:

Semen donors are generally healthy men between 22 and 38 years of age. Prior medical assessment covers basic personal data, current general health, past medical and surgical history, family history (including a detailed genetic history), occupational and social history, medical and illicit drug use, reproductive and sexual history. A professional psychologist assesses each donor.

Prospective donors are screened for:

• Sexually transmitted disease: the presence of HIV 1 and 2 antibody; hepatitis B surface antigen; hepatitis C antibodies; syphilis; Neisseria gonorrhoea; Chlamidia trachomatis; cytomegalovirus antibodies;
  
  

• chromosomal abnormalities (karyotyping);
  
  
• genetic disorders most common in Russia such as cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria, sensorineural deafness, and spinal amyotrophy.

A seminal analysis is performed using current WHO protocols, and post-thaw cryosurvival rates are assessed.

Donors are re-tested at regular intervals (six months) for sexually transmitted disease. Only ejaculates which have been in storage for >180 days at the time of re-testing are used.

Our Cryobank meets the following requirements:

• To minimize any risk of transmission of infection via liquid nitrogen, sperm is stored in high-security straws. Transfer of sperm to straws is by a method that avoids contamination of the external surface.
  
  

• Duplicate records on frozen sperm including freezing protocol used, recommended thawing procedures, and the physical location of each dose within the storage container are kept in the laboratory and with the clinic's director.
  
  
• Twice a year we perform audit of stored sperm, cross referencing content with storage records.
  
  
• There is a second freezing and thawing unit in case of equipment malfunction.
  
  
• Nitrogen tanks are cleaned and sterilized twice a year.

AltraVita provides donor semen to medical centers in different Russian regions. Our cryobank also provides semen freezing and storage for patients desiring to have their specimens cryopreserved for future use.

Medical centers throughout Russia use donor semen from our cryobank because of their confidence in the donor selection, screening, infectious and genetic disease testing, and high sperm quality standards of our clinic.