What physicians and patients ask us most.

Artificial insemination using donor or husband sperm is a medically recognised therapeutic procedure practised worldwide. The incidence of birth abnormalities in children conceived this way is the same as that of natural conception. As with any invasive procedure, a risk of infection exists if it is not performed under proper conditions using carefully processed samples, which is why our processing standards are not negotiable.

Donors are selected against strict criteria covering age, height, education, detailed medical and genetic history, and semen quality. The majority of our donors are students at medical and professional colleges.

Yes. Every donor is screened for HIV I and II, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhoea, genital warts and chlamydia. Donors are tested initially and re-tested at three-month intervals thereafter.

Yes, every donor is tested for blood group and Rh factor.

Yes. We follow the recommendations of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and release samples only after a six-month quarantine period, during which the donor is re-tested for HIV I and II, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhoea, genital warts and chlamydia.

Safety is the primary advantage: the quarantine period allows infections to be excluded in a way that is not possible with a fresh sample. Frozen samples also make it easier to schedule insemination when ovulation is optimal, to use the same donor throughout a cycle, to keep a sample of known quality available over an extended period, and to ensure complete anonymity for patients.

Yes. The identities of both donor and recipient are kept strictly confidential. We retain donor records so that essential medical information can be furnished if it is ever required, but the donor's identity remains confidential even in such cases.

Donors are matched on blood group, height, complexion, eye colour and hair colour.

Every vial contains at least 20 million motile sperm after thawing, the standard recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. A vial from each frozen batch is thawed and tested for quality control before any vial from that batch is dispatched. Quality-control data for any specimen is available on request.

Cryo-Genie's cryobanks were established to serve physicians and their patients, so samples are supplied only to a physician, or to a client with a physician's authorisation. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Yes. Men who face the possibility of infertility — through chemotherapy, radiotherapy, high-risk occupations, injury in combat, or an already compromised semen quality — may prefer to preserve their semen for future use. We are fully equipped for long-term autopreservation, and we also store a husband's sperm for artificial insemination (AIH), in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other assisted reproductive procedures.