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STEP ONE
enrollment
Sperm banking can create many questions. Always feel free to contact us at 404-325-0907. We are available extended hours, 7 days a week to answer all of your questions. You may enroll by selecting the appropriate method below.
- Most clients enroll by phone 404-325-0907
- I would like to enroll Online.
- I would like to download my forms now. (Fill out the form below)
- Email my forms to me. (Fill out the form below)
are you ready?
STEP TWO
collection + transportation
Your kit will arrive priority overnight via FedEx Express. It will contain complete and detailed instructions about how to collect your sample and ship it back to the lab. It will include a specimen cup and a container of non-hazardous sperm preservative.
Upon receipt, you will need to store the preservative in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. It is important to remain abstinent and refrain from ejaculating for at least three days prior to (but not more than five days prior to) producing your sample. Collecting within this time frame allows your body to produce the largest, healthiest volume of ejaculate possible.
You must produce your specimen Monday-Thursday only. It is best to do this late in the afternoon, 3pm-4pm. These days and time frame will optimize your final sperm count and motility.
Note: The preservative only protects your sample for 18hrs.
- After you ejaculate into the specimen cup, you will:
- Add the preservative to your cup.
- Gently swirl it around
- You will then complete the enclosed Collection Worksheet.
Place the completed Collection Worksheet into the CryoChoice box for shipment back to our lab with your sample.
To ensure privacy, the box slips into an un-marked FedEx envelope. You will then take your package to your nearest FedEx location, or any other indoor, manned FedEx location. Never drop the package in a drop box. Finally, you will get a status call from us within 48 business hours of receiving your sample.
DO NOT COLLECT MORE THAN ONE SAMPLE PER DAY
STEP THREE
processing
Upon arrival at the laboratory, complete testing will begin. A manual sperm count will be performed by a technician looking at a slide of your sperm under a microscope. Motility tests and Morphology tests will be done. Once we have successfully determined that the specimen is acceptable for cryopreservation and storage, the technician will deplete the shipping preservative and add a cryoprotectant. This will keep the sperm cells stable as they slowly reach -196C over the next 48 hours.
We will store all the sperm you produce.
We will divide the entire specimen into equalized vials. Equalizing your specimen means that no matter how large your sample is, each individual vial will contain a similar number of sperm cells. Consistency in sperm count from vial to vial is important when you wish to retrieve only 1 or 2 vials for insemination. The average ejaculate produces 3 vials.
Finally, two days after processing, an aliquot will be thawed and thoroughly tested. We take this extra step to ensure that each sample can successfully withstand the entire cryogenic process, be thawed out and still maintain clinical usefulness.
storage
Your sample will be maintained in a stainless-steel cryogenic tank filled with liquid nitrogen. The average temperature in these vessels is -196°C. The temperature is constantly monitored by a computer-controlled probe. As an additional precaution, a manual reading is periodically taken.
Everything's Secured here at CryoChoice.
The room containing these tanks is secured by an access control system so only authorized personnel can enter. An alarm system alerts staff if the room’s security has been breached or if the temperature in the tank becomes abnormal. This system also electronically notifies a 24-7 manned call center.
Back-up electrical systems keep critical equipment working in case of a power failure. In any event, a full tank can typically hold an adequate temperature without a refill of coolant for approximately five days.
retrieval
If you ever wish to retrieve your sample(s), simply contact CryoChoice. We will send you a Withdrawal Form to begin your process. You will need to complete this and email it back to us. Upon receipt, we will begin the approval process and working in direct coordination with your fertility center.
When the approval process is complete, a shipping and release fee will be assessed, and your sample will be prepared.
Once all shipping and release fees have been paid in full, we will ship your samples to the facility requested. Please allow 30 days’ notice prior to anticipated release date for all paperwork to be completed, samples to be retrieved, and cryogenic shipping arrangements to be made to your treatment facility.
infectious disease testing
Infectious disease testing is not required to store your sample; however, it will be required to release or use your sample in the future. Most fertility clinics require infectious disease testing to be completed within 90 days (7 days for California residents) of your last collection. CryoChoice offers an infectious disease testing kit as an optional addition to your service for $199. Click here to learn more.