FAQ

To report a pregnancy using donor sperm, please click on your donor bank's link and complete the requested form:
 

Fairfax Cryobank

http://www.fairfaxcryobank.ca/pregnancyreport.php
 

Seattle Sperm Bank

https://www.seattlespermbank.com/services/pregnancy-reporting/
 

NW Cryobank

Sign into your account at https://www.nwcryobank.ca/sign-in/ and click on Report a Pregnancy at the bottom of the page.

CAN-AM is a Canadian importer of donor sperm and eggs from six U.S. cryobanks: Cryogenic Laboratories, Fairfax Cryobank, Fairfax Egg Bank, NWCryobank, NWCryo egg bank and Seattle Sperm Bank. Our facility is inspected annually by Health Canada and we maintain the highest standards of regulatory compliance.

Donor sperm and eggs distributed by CAN-AM are compliant with donor screening and testing requirements of the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) as well as Canadian requirements for donors of reproductive tissue. Health Canada requires that all sperm donors undergo repeated testing for infectious diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B & C and syphilis. Donor sperm is also tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea at the time of each donation.

Donor profiles are viewable from our catalogue. We also provide a link to access each bank's website for additional donor information, photos and other items available directly from the donor bank.

Generally, open-identity donor programs offered by sperm and egg banks ("Open-ID", "Identity Options", "Identity Disclosure") allow the offspring of a donor to contact the sperm or egg bank once they reach adulthood and be provided with the name and last-known contact information for the donor.  Alternatively, the bank may instead attempt to contact the donor on behalf of the offspring without directly revealing the identifying information to the offspring. Donor-conceived children are free to decide whether they want to receive this information about the donor, and whether or not to follow up on it.

Information about the client using the donor sperm or eggs, or about the resulting offspring, is never revealed to the donor.

The specific conditions of open-identity programs vary between the banks. Please contact the bank directly for more information.

Each bank maintains its own register of pregnancies and/or births. Registration can make it easier for the bank to contact you in the case of an important update in the donor's medical information, and may be required for participation in donor identity-release programs. Please visit the donor bank's website for details.

Each bank provides updates to donors' medical information where available. They may contact you directly if you provide them with your contact information, or you may access this information directly on their website.

CAN-AM offers donor selection consultations at our locations in Hamilton, ON, and Montreal. During your consultation, you can view photos and extended donor information to help you narrow down your donor choices. Please call or email to book an appointment.

Click the Order Now button on the donor catalogue next to your chosen donor to submit your request. If you require assistance completing your order request, or you are ordering within 48 hours of your treatment (priority order), please call CAN-AM directly to ensure your order is processed quickly.

If you have any questions about ordering not covered in this FAQ, see our <Ordering FAQ>.

Your clinic should advise you on what day the vials need to arrive. We recommend that you order donor sperm by Day 3 of your cycle to ensure your shipment will arrive at your clinic when you need it.

Your clinic can tell you whether they have a preference. "Washed" donor vials have been processed at the sperm bank before freezing and can be used for intrauterine insemination (IUI) directly after thawing. "Unwashed" vials can be used for intracervical insemination (ICI) or may be washed at your clinic prior to being used for IUI.

Donor sperm must be "washed" to remove seminal plasma before it can be used in intrauterine insemination (IUI). This washing can be performed before freezing by the sperm bank (IUI-ready vials) or at the time of insemination by your clinic (ICI-ready vials). Due to the extra processing at the sperm bank, the cost for IUI-ready vials is higher, but may save you processing fees at your clinic.

Open ID donor programs involve more administrative and record-keeping requirements, which can result in higher costs for donor specimens.

Your clinic will tell you how many vials you will need to order per cycle of treatment. Some patients require only a few cycles of treatment to become pregnant, while others may need more time. You can order vials for future treatment cycles and store them at CAN-AM, ensuring that you have a guaranteed supply when you need it.

Sperm banks must hold vials in quarantine for at least six months before they can be released for use. At the time of each release, many vials may be released, or only a few. We cannot be sure that vials from your chosen donor will be consistently available.

To ensure that you will have a guaranteed supply of your chosen donor for treatment, we recommend that you pre-purchase vials ahead of time. You may also want to consider purchasing additional vials if you would like the option of having more children in the future using the same donor.

CAN-AM provides short- and long-term reserve storage for vials of donor sperm at our Hamilton facility. Please see our Storage FAQ for more information.

Vials are eligible for a 50% refund up to 12 months after purchase if they remain in storage at CAN-AM. Storage conditions of vials in doctor's offices and clinics cannot be guaranteed and the sperm bank will not accept these vials for refund. Any vials returned to CAN-AM from your clinic can be stored for your future use, but cannot be refunded.