Sperm Donor

alabamamom

New member
MY husband and I are both carriers. We have talked about using a sperm donor to greatly reduce thet chances of passing on CF to a child. The sperm bank I looked into tests for 97 mutations. Anyone have any experience with this?
 

alabamamom

New member
MY husband and I are both carriers. We have talked about using a sperm donor to greatly reduce thet chances of passing on CF to a child. The sperm bank I looked into tests for 97 mutations. Anyone have any experience with this?
 

alabamamom

New member
MY husband and I are both carriers. We have talked about using a sperm donor to greatly reduce thet chances of passing on CF to a child. The sperm bank I looked into tests for 97 mutations. Anyone have any experience with this?
 

rubyroselee

New member
Hi there,

I'll share my story and hopefully it will help you out <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

I am in a same-sex marriage, so in order to have children we had to look into using a sperm bank. Since I am the one with CF, we chose my wife to get pregnant, since I was not sure how my health would do with a pregnancy. And 4 years ago we had our son.

But then I had the overwhelming want to get pregnant as well. After looking through all of my health concerns, we talked with the sperm bank. We found out the sperm donor was tested for the top 89 mutations and came back negative. So we were certain we were in the clear. So 2 1/2 years ago I gave birth to our second son.

However, just recently my younger son was having problems with bronchitis. After doing some research, we found that the chance he could have CF is something like 1 in 500. So about a month ago we sent him for a sweat test (which was negative) and Ambry genetics test to see if he has 2 mutations (results still pending).

So the point of my story is that even though you should be fairly safe with the testing of the common mutations, there is still a chance for rare mutations. But since you are just a carrier, there is a much lower chance for having a CF child when compared to me, as my biological son was guaranteed to get a mutation from me, which is not the case with you. I would say that you are probably fairly safe, but if you really want to know the actual statistics, you will have to ask the medical professionals and/or do some research.

Good luck with your decision!
 

rubyroselee

New member
Hi there,

I'll share my story and hopefully it will help you out <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

I am in a same-sex marriage, so in order to have children we had to look into using a sperm bank. Since I am the one with CF, we chose my wife to get pregnant, since I was not sure how my health would do with a pregnancy. And 4 years ago we had our son.

But then I had the overwhelming want to get pregnant as well. After looking through all of my health concerns, we talked with the sperm bank. We found out the sperm donor was tested for the top 89 mutations and came back negative. So we were certain we were in the clear. So 2 1/2 years ago I gave birth to our second son.

However, just recently my younger son was having problems with bronchitis. After doing some research, we found that the chance he could have CF is something like 1 in 500. So about a month ago we sent him for a sweat test (which was negative) and Ambry genetics test to see if he has 2 mutations (results still pending).

So the point of my story is that even though you should be fairly safe with the testing of the common mutations, there is still a chance for rare mutations. But since you are just a carrier, there is a much lower chance for having a CF child when compared to me, as my biological son was guaranteed to get a mutation from me, which is not the case with you. I would say that you are probably fairly safe, but if you really want to know the actual statistics, you will have to ask the medical professionals and/or do some research.

Good luck with your decision!
 

rubyroselee

New member
Hi there,
<br />
<br />I'll share my story and hopefully it will help you out <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
<br />
<br />I am in a same-sex marriage, so in order to have children we had to look into using a sperm bank. Since I am the one with CF, we chose my wife to get pregnant, since I was not sure how my health would do with a pregnancy. And 4 years ago we had our son.
<br />
<br />But then I had the overwhelming want to get pregnant as well. After looking through all of my health concerns, we talked with the sperm bank. We found out the sperm donor was tested for the top 89 mutations and came back negative. So we were certain we were in the clear. So 2 1/2 years ago I gave birth to our second son.
<br />
<br />However, just recently my younger son was having problems with bronchitis. After doing some research, we found that the chance he could have CF is something like 1 in 500. So about a month ago we sent him for a sweat test (which was negative) and Ambry genetics test to see if he has 2 mutations (results still pending).
<br />
<br />So the point of my story is that even though you should be fairly safe with the testing of the common mutations, there is still a chance for rare mutations. But since you are just a carrier, there is a much lower chance for having a CF child when compared to me, as my biological son was guaranteed to get a mutation from me, which is not the case with you. I would say that you are probably fairly safe, but if you really want to know the actual statistics, you will have to ask the medical professionals and/or do some research.
<br />
<br />Good luck with your decision!
 

alabamamom

New member
Funny thing is...the mutation I carry is one of those very rare ones. I only know about it b/c my sister had CF. The 97 panel would not detect mine! I know the chance is small, but still..... Did u have the option of having the donor tested for more mutations? Do u mind sharing which sperm bank u used and if u were happy with it?
Congrats on the kids and so glad to hear the sweat test came out neg!
 

alabamamom

New member
Funny thing is...the mutation I carry is one of those very rare ones. I only know about it b/c my sister had CF. The 97 panel would not detect mine! I know the chance is small, but still..... Did u have the option of having the donor tested for more mutations? Do u mind sharing which sperm bank u used and if u were happy with it?
Congrats on the kids and so glad to hear the sweat test came out neg!
 

alabamamom

New member
Funny thing is...the mutation I carry is one of those very rare ones. I only know about it b/c my sister had CF. The 97 panel would not detect mine! I know the chance is small, but still..... Did u have the option of having the donor tested for more mutations? Do u mind sharing which sperm bank u used and if u were happy with it?
<br />Congrats on the kids and so glad to hear the sweat test came out neg!
 

rubyroselee

New member
Hi,

Yes, there is the chance the donor could get tested for more mutations. It's particularly easy to get them tested for genetics if they are still "active" with the sperm bank. However, our donor was not active with the bank any longer. But another family, who used the same donor as us, had a different genetics scare. They contacted the sperm bank, who contacted the donor directly (who was inactive), and he gladly came back and did further genetics testing for them.

We used California Cryobank and we have been very happy with them. I believe they are one of the largest with quite a large selection. Will you be looking for a donor with similar qualities/traits as your husband?

I really give you guys a lot of credit for going that route, as most people want children that are biologically theirs. But it sounds like you're not willing to take the risk at all. Have you considered PGD, where they choose an embryo that is CF-free?
 

rubyroselee

New member
Hi,

Yes, there is the chance the donor could get tested for more mutations. It's particularly easy to get them tested for genetics if they are still "active" with the sperm bank. However, our donor was not active with the bank any longer. But another family, who used the same donor as us, had a different genetics scare. They contacted the sperm bank, who contacted the donor directly (who was inactive), and he gladly came back and did further genetics testing for them.

We used California Cryobank and we have been very happy with them. I believe they are one of the largest with quite a large selection. Will you be looking for a donor with similar qualities/traits as your husband?

I really give you guys a lot of credit for going that route, as most people want children that are biologically theirs. But it sounds like you're not willing to take the risk at all. Have you considered PGD, where they choose an embryo that is CF-free?
 

rubyroselee

New member
Hi,
<br />
<br />Yes, there is the chance the donor could get tested for more mutations. It's particularly easy to get them tested for genetics if they are still "active" with the sperm bank. However, our donor was not active with the bank any longer. But another family, who used the same donor as us, had a different genetics scare. They contacted the sperm bank, who contacted the donor directly (who was inactive), and he gladly came back and did further genetics testing for them.
<br />
<br />We used California Cryobank and we have been very happy with them. I believe they are one of the largest with quite a large selection. Will you be looking for a donor with similar qualities/traits as your husband?
<br />
<br />I really give you guys a lot of credit for going that route, as most people want children that are biologically theirs. But it sounds like you're not willing to take the risk at all. Have you considered PGD, where they choose an embryo that is CF-free?
 

mamaScarlett

Active member
There is no way to elect to test for over 1000 mutations at a bank? (Even though I'm sure you'd have to pay yourself for that additional testing.)
I can't believe that a bank would only test for 97.
Well, if you are asking about percentages, one of my mutations would not be found on the 97 test, and I know of several other cases where testing for 97 was done and passed with no found mutations, but mutations were found later.
I think your chances are still pretty low, and personal feelings go into this of course, but those are the facts.
Best wishes!
 

mamaScarlett

Active member
There is no way to elect to test for over 1000 mutations at a bank? (Even though I'm sure you'd have to pay yourself for that additional testing.)
I can't believe that a bank would only test for 97.
Well, if you are asking about percentages, one of my mutations would not be found on the 97 test, and I know of several other cases where testing for 97 was done and passed with no found mutations, but mutations were found later.
I think your chances are still pretty low, and personal feelings go into this of course, but those are the facts.
Best wishes!
 

mamaScarlett

Active member
There is no way to elect to test for over 1000 mutations at a bank? (Even though I'm sure you'd have to pay yourself for that additional testing.)
<br />I can't believe that a bank would only test for 97.
<br />Well, if you are asking about percentages, one of my mutations would not be found on the 97 test, and I know of several other cases where testing for 97 was done and passed with no found mutations, but mutations were found later.
<br />I think your chances are still pretty low, and personal feelings go into this of course, but those are the facts.
<br />Best wishes!
 
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