Sperm bank of your choice?

Mandababy007 · March 2012

Hello everyone,

Pretty new here. I'm looking for some personal opinions about which sperm bank you like the most. I am waiting a few weeks to buy, cause I want to be sure. Here's some info that might be helpful:

I'm in the NW region.

Using Donor Sperm (Obviously, Due to DB being Transgendered.).

Also, I need it to be stored possibly up to 6 months.

Any help/info would be appreciated.

ball.and.chain · March 2012

We are using California Cryobank because we liked the way their online catalog is set up (I found it easier to search for what we wanted than in other banks' catalogs) and because we found the donor we wanted there. Their customer service has been good, although I will be contacting them this week about a possible reimbursement/credit for a vial that seems to have had low motility, so that will be a greater test of their customer service! We'll see.

However -- for me it is all about the donor, not the bank, and if I decide to switch donors and find a donor I want at another bank, I would not hesitate to switch (provided it is a reputable bank). If I find another donor at CCB, I would not hesitate to stick with them (which would be easier since we already have an account set up). I'm selecting the genetic material of my child -- to me that is pretty important, and I am willing to pay a little more or put up with inconveniences to get what I want.

I don't think storage is a problem -- people store purchased sperm at their banks for years while they are waiting to conceive siblings, and it is fine, but if you will be storing at the bank (vs at a doctor's office/fertility clinic), you may want to look into the costs of doing so at different banks.

Other things to look into -- these things may or may not be concerns for you:

Do they have a cap on how many families can use one donor's sperm, and if so, what is it?

Do they guarantee a certain value/motile count in their sperm vials?

Do the costs of vials/storage/shipping (if needed) differ significantly from other banks?

Good luck!

JLRHNR · March 2012

The only comparing I remember doing with sperm banks with DD was who had red head donors (few and far between lol), price, and whether or not the RE worked with these companies or not. We decided on Fairfax. We are in the southeast but I don't consider that I deciding factor. If CA cryobank had a red head at the time, we would have considered them as well. We had looked at Xytex (GA) and actually used them for our first 3 IUI attempts with first clinic. When we changed clinics, we were told by that RE that they didn't prefer to use Xytex because they have a higher number of reported pregnancies before they will retire a donor from the program. While I'm sure the risk of incest is highly unlikely, I guess the RE clinic would rather not risk it. Anywho...we went with Fairfax for the next 3 IUI attempts. I really liked this company because I could order online, chat online if I had any questions, I spoke with the same person everytime I called the main office (online and by phone) and she was always very nice. We've just had good experiences with them and are obviously satisfied with the "product." Wink

Jayden when she was "itty bitty." Wink

JoySeattle · March 2012

We also went with CCB, for many of the same reasons as ball.and.chain, primarily finding an ideal donor with them. We're in the PNW too and unless you're willing/able to drive Spokane, WA to pick-up from NW Cryobank, you're looking at shipping. Shipping from CCB is easy but expensive ($185-235 per shipment depending on speed). For storage, we did their "Purchase and Store". They have two options: "Family Today - Purchase 5 vials and receive 1 year FREE storage and Family Tomorrow - Purchase 10 vials and receive 3 years FREE storage."

Best of luck in making a decision, selecting a donor and creating your family!

emma+karen · March 2012

We are using NW Cryobank, due largely to them having a donor that we love. Other bonuses were relatively low cost, especially compared to some other banks we looked at, and the ease of shipping to our home (really good doctors are scarce in our area, and we are trying by ourselves at home for at least a few cycles).

We had also looked into Cryogenic Laboratories, also due to being a little more affordable. But as others have said, it is really all about the donor.

Good luck in your search!

nmartin1108 · March 2012

We chose to go with Fairfax, simply because DH found the donor he liked best there. We also got a great deal when we bought 6 vials at a time. Our RE stores our vials (I think costs ~$100/yr for storage).

Because my husband is also FTM he took the lead in picking out a donor. It was his way to contribute sperm to the conception process :-)

Congrats on the start of your journey!

TaylorandMel · March 2012

We used cryogenic laboratories in Minnesota. They're a branch of Fairfax. We have not been impressed with them. They're expensive and so is their storage. We have had MANY vials that were below the count they guarantee or just like 1 million above--so if they guarantee to 10 million the vial is 11 million. Lame.

I feel as though if they had better quality sperm we may have gotten pregnant before 10 IUIs and ultimately IVF. Who knows for sure, but I know we had every test and there is nothing wrong with Mel except "unexplained infertility" aka "crappy sperm." Looking back, we probably should have changed banks, but there's here nor there now I guess.

leapgirl8 · March 2012

We used California Cryobank. We started with Fairfax but switched when I realized we'd want to have the vials shipped anyway so a local bank didn't matter. CC has a large selection. I like California b/c they limit the number of families who have live children with each donor, have donors who accept being contacted by adult children, and have excellent genetic screening policies. Since we were not looking for anything very specific, our decision was more based on those policies and the selection size than anything else.

2brides · March 2012

We used Fairfax because for the first 2 at home cycles, L could pick it up and bring it home (thus saving shipping.) Once we went to the RE, they would courrier it to the RE which was significantly cheaper than shipping. And they had donors that met our needs (we weren't attached to donors - went through 3 donors before hitting the jackpot!)

gervaisj6 · March 2012

hi, I am a lurker, but we used European Sperm Bank out of Seattle. They are cheaper than California Cryo, and Xytex, and have excellent customer service. They have donor's of the month, and deals on them, they do FREE photo matching if that is of interest to you. My 4th iui worked.

Mandababy007 · March 2012

Thank you everyone for the help, I have an appointment for my first consultation on the 11th. Super nervous. DB has been going threw tons of donors, he's extremely picky in the process... which makes me smile.

Ill update as the journey progresses.

mypalbabs · March 2012

Mandababy007:
Thank you everyone for the help, I have an appointment for my first consultation on the 11th. Super nervous. DB has been going threw tons of donors, he's extremely picky in the process... which makes me smile.
Ill update as the journey progresses.

Manda - I keep trying to figure out what "DB" stands for. (When I read posts, I read them out loud in my head and I speak out the abbreviations, if that makes sense.) The only thing I can think of, based on LGBTQ etc. culture is Darling Boi.

mypalbabs · March 2012

Sperm bank question:

We selected a local bank because they offer same-day delivery, which means a seven day tank truly is good seven days from its arrival at our door.

When you use a company that has to ship it, how do you manage the fact that the "seven days" that it stays frozen begins the day it ships, then takes a few days to get to you? (And it looks like you have to place the order a few days before shipping!)

If you cycle is at all erratic, how do you manage the timing of all of that?

bluedaisyus · March 2012

our RE has a couple of preferred banks, so we looked at our options with those and went with the one that is literally right next door to them. we don't have to pay any shipping which, between my wife's tries to get pregnant with our son and my tries, has saved us more than $2500 in shipping costs alone. most banks will store indefinitely, you just have to be prepared to pay for it.

ball.and.chain · March 2012

mypalbabs:
Sperm bank question:
We selected a local bank because they offer same-day delivery, which means a seven day tank truly is good seven days from its arrival at our door.
When you use a company that has to ship it, how do you manage the fact that the "seven days" that it stays frozen begins the day it ships, then takes a few days to get to you? (And it looks like you have to place the order a few days before shipping!)
If you cycle is at all erratic, how do you manage the timing of all of that?

Well, for one thing you can do overnight shipping. Our bank only offers overnight or 2-day, so it wouldn't cut into the 7 days TOO much. Both are expensive so you don't save that much to do 2-day.

If you are using an RE's office or AI clinic or someplace else that has storage facilities, it doesn't matter -- they just take it out and put it into storage and it's good until you're ready for them to thaw it -- whether that's days or weeks or months.

Honestly, this is one of the reasons I would not personally do at-home insems unless I had free, fresh sperm from a local, known donor who could be available when needed. My cycles are relatively consistent -- out of 12 cycles charting, I have ovulated on cd 19 or 20 for 8 of them -- but I have also ovulated twice on cd 17, once on 21, and once on 24. In other words I'd want to have the sperm by cd 16 but might not need it until 24...or later...and without professional storage facilities, I'd just have to hope for the best. I guess if you're doing at-home and you ovulate later than expected, you either inseminate as late as possible and cross your fingers, or you lose the sperm.

mypalbabs · March 2012

ball.and.chain:
mypalbabs:
Sperm bank question:
We selected a local bank because they offer same-day delivery, which means a seven day tank truly is good seven days from its arrival at our door.
When you use a company that has to ship it, how do you manage the fact that the "seven days" that it stays frozen begins the day it ships, then takes a few days to get to you? (And it looks like you have to place the order a few days before shipping!)
If you cycle is at all erratic, how do you manage the timing of all of that?
Well, for one thing you can do overnight shipping. Our bank only offers overnight or 2-day, so it wouldn't cut into the 7 days TOO much. Both are expensive so you don't save that much to do 2-day.
If you are using an RE's office or AI clinic or someplace else that has storage facilities, it doesn't matter -- they just take it out and put it into storage and it's good until you're ready for them to thaw it -- whether that's days or weeks or months.
Honestly, this is one of the reasons I would not personally do at-home insems unless I had free, fresh sperm from a local, known donor who could be available when needed. My cycles are relatively consistent -- out of 12 cycles charting, I have ovulated on cd 19 or 20 for 8 of them -- but I have also ovulated twice on cd 17, once on 21, and once on 24. In other words I'd want to have the sperm by cd 16 but might not need it until 24...or later...and without professional storage facilities, I'd just have to hope for the best. I guess if you're doing at-home and you ovulate later than expected, you either inseminate as late as possible and cross your fingers, or you lose the sperm.

That makes perfect sense.

Since we're doing at-home insemination (and my partner feels really strongly about doing this if at all possible) we'll just keep watching her charts, which are pretty consistent. Currently, if we place an order by 10 a.m., we receive it by 5 p.m. the same day. It's all a bit nerve-wracking, the timing part I mean.

Mandababy007 · August 2012

Thank you to everyone who replied.

After looking at many reviews I decided to hold off until I was confident with the Fertility clinic, Switched from SRM to Pacific Northwest Fertility. Going off reviews and customer service, matching with best success rates. I totally appreciate all the info and will use it in my journey (hopefully a short one).

Sperm bank of your choice?

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