Fairfax / Virginia / United States
Fairfax Cryobank donors live in the local communities surrounding our collection facilities in Fairfax, Virginia ( metro Washington DC ), Austin, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We draw heavily from the colleges and graduate programs in those areas, as well as recruiting successful professionals to become sperm donors. Men who are interested in becoming applicants must be between 18-39 years of age, healthy and have no other significant risk factors. ( See information about the screening process below ) Of those who originally apply, fewer than 1% actually are accepted as sperm donors for Fairfax Cryobank, indicative of our intensely rigorous screening processes. During the required face to face interview with our experienced staff, donors often express the desire to help those who are unable to have children of their own. They may have observed similar experiences with family or friends and are therefore looking for a way to make a difference. This interview process is ongoing and allows us to get to know the donors as well as being an effective way to review information the donors provide about themselves and their families. Donors are required to fill out a health history questionnaire with detailed information about themselves and their families, providing information about educational background and academic testing. They must also undergo a physical exam and extensive blood work to test for an array of disorders. Sperm samples are put through intensive scrutiny and must pass a minimum standard to be considered for the program. Once a donor has been accepted into the program, he is tested for infectious diseases on a recurring basis and must maintain a minimum sperm quality. Donors typically contract with Fairfax Cryobank for at least 6 months and will visit the Cryobank on average twice a week to provide specimens. ID OPTION donors agree to allow Fairfax Cryobank to share identifying information with registered offspring, 18 or older, conceived by donor insemination with their semen specimen. Adult offspring who have been registered will be the ONLY individual ( s ) with the authority to request identifying information and to have access to the identifying information. Identifying information is defined as the ID Option Donors full name, date of birth, last known telephone numbers and addresses, and other personally identifying information that the ID Options Donor has agreed to release and that Fairfax Cryobank chooses to release. ID Option Donors stay in contact with Fairfax Cryobank and update information regularly. Although donors agree to participate in the ID Options Program, they are not obligated to meet their offspring. Patients can decide to complete the birth registration at a later time or not at all, while waiting to see what their family situation dictates they should do. To protect patient confidentiality, donors can never access the names of offspring and their parents through Fairfax Cryobank
