FAQ - Donors

SEMA4 is contracted with BSI Labs and Any Lab Test Now.  

You will need to go to the link listed below to find a lab closest to you that can perform your partner’s blood draw:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1j4OLAyMJ_q8eHnnN3StcOjvUpP9WX6da&ll=41.9251342466604%2C-77.61077630296037&z=7

If you would like your sperm source genetically tested, please let us know as we work closely with a company, SEMA4, who completes genetic testing for our CNY clients.  If you choose this option, SEMA4 will mail a saliva kit directly to his mailing address (just no PO Box addresses) and tests for approximately 283 genetic diseases.  The saliva kit costs around $250 and results are received 14-16 business days after SEMA4 receives the sample.

To be matched with an egg donor that is a positive genetic carrier, you either need a signed genetic waiver or your sperm source carrier must be screened, and those results need to be provided prior to making that match.

If the donor portal says the donor has not had genetic testing, that is because they fill out an application before they are accepted into our program. Once accepted, all our donors are tested for the most common genetic diseases and profiles are updated once test results are in.  The genetic panel typically includes but is not limited to the following diseases:

Alpha-Thalassemia, Beta-Globin-Related Hemoglobinopathies (The most frequent hemoglobinopathies are beta-thalassemia, sickle cell disease and HbC disease), Bloom Syndrome, Canavan Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Familial Dysautonomia, Familial Hyperinsulinism (ABCC8-Related),Fanconi Anemia, Group C, Fragile X Syndrome, Gaucher Disease, Glycogen Storage Disease, Type 1a,Joubert syndrome 2,Lipoamide Dehydrogenase Deficiency, Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Type 1a,Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Type 1b ,Melioidosis IV, Nemaline Myopathy 2,Niemann-Pick Disease (SMPD1-Related),Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Tay-Sachs Disease, Usher Syndrome, Type IF, Usher Syndrome, Type III, Walker-Warburg Syndrome and other FKTN-Related Dystrophies

CNY Fertility has recently expanded genetic screening on our egg donors to include over 200 genetic conditions. Since the availability of genetic testing changes over time, it’s likely that you will find that the diseases each donor is tested for varies slightly. All people carry mutations for disorders that are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. If an egg donor is known to carry a mutation for one or more inherited disorders, this information is made available on her profile. No amount of genetic testing can guarantee a normal healthy child.

We strongly recommend screening the sperm source if you select a donor with a positive result. Genetic counseling is available. You may go to the link below to find out more information about any particular disease.

https://sema4.com/products/expandedcarrierscreenold/diseases-screened/

Our program at CNY Fertility is and has always been anonymous. We will never exchange information between egg donors and recipients. If you are interested in an open donation, we suggest you consider using a known donor, an agency donor, or egg bank.   Anonymity varies between agencies and egg banks so you will want to look for a company that fit your needs.

The choice to receive the COVID vaccine is a very private and personal decision.  Currently there is no evidence that proves that the COVID vaccine or any other vaccine for that matter has any effect on egg quality.  Until there are studies that show otherwise, we will not be requiring our egg donors to report having received the vaccine. Currently, we continue to require a negative COVID test prior to their egg retrieval OR proof of vaccination.  ** We will not share their vaccination status. **

Unfortunately, we cannot share the donor’s lab results. However, our donors have to meet specific criteria before they are accepted into our program. We can share with you any positive outcomes that result from previous cycles, however, it is important that you remember there are so many factors involved in our outcomes. It is not necessarily donor egg quality, we must think about the health of the uterus, the quality of the sperm, and the age of the recipient.

We require our donors to be between the ages of 20-32 years old, which is considered the most fertile age. With that being said, we do not consider a 32-year-old any less successful than a 20-year-old.

The donors can cycle up to 8 times.  This does not mean they will cycle 8 times, and it does not mean they will cycle in consecutive months.  After each egg retrieval, we give the donors two weeks to recover before we reach out to them to see if they would like to remain in our program.

All donors are matched with two recipients for each egg retrieval cycle. If you are second on a wait list and there are two recipients currently matched with that donor you would be offered a chance to match with that donor for her next cycle, should she wish to cycle again.  The exception would be if either recipient matched with that donor for her previous cycle did not receive eggs. 

 If you have banked eggs, or more than two donor egg embryos in your name, we will skip over you to the next recipient should your donor become available to be matched.  We will keep your name on the list so in the event you need to fall back on this you will still have your spot.  You would just need to check in with us so that we can make a note.  If you have banked eggs in your name but you are ultimately hoping for a fresh egg donor, please let your coordinator know so that a note can be made.  We want you to be 100% satisfied with your final selection. 

These labels pertain to the donor’s CURRENT donor cycle.  When it says donor “Available”, it means that they have not yet been matched for their current cycle.  Wait lists grow fast, so it is important to check the portal every day for possible new donors.  When the donor’s profile is labeled “Currently Matched”, it means that they have been matched with 2 recipients for their current cycle.  These donors are still available in our program but have waitlists for future cycles!  There can be a maximum of 25 recipients on a donor’s wait list before it is considered full.

For fresh donor eggs, we permit our clients to be added to no more than three waitlists.  Please make sure you are checking the patient portal daily, just as you would check your own email. If you see a donor removed from the list, you are more than welcome to request to be added to an additional waitlist.   Wait lists are a courtesy provided by CNY Fertility. We reserve the right to remove you from any wait lists once you have been matched with an egg donor. It is the recipient’s responsibility to check the patient portal for new donors added and current donors removed as it is too tedious for our staff to update all recipients as changes are made. You will be contacted should any donor to which you are waitlisted becomes available to you.

Unfortunately, there is no filter or sort option available on the donor portal at this time.  Please keep track of the donors you have viewed and the wait lists that you are on.

The portal is not updated at any specific time of day.

At the top right-hand side of your portal, above the large red link that says, “PREFERRED PHARMACIES”, you will see the words “Available Donor”.  This hyperlink will open a separate web page that shows a complete list of our current donors, including their personal history and photos.   To view a donor’s profile, click on the donor’s picture and then click “Profile”.