Assessing your sperm donor's post-thaw count

The Choice Mom discussion board has had conversation about how women can be assured of getting the sperm count we need in post-thaw to effect the best chances at success, since sperm banks are not regulated.

There was excellent feedback on the board from women who reported that their doctors test a sample of the sperm before insemination to be sure it has a good count. For those who have had that service by their RE, it was also reported that some vials had a poorer quality post-thaw sperm count than they should have.

So we went to California Cryobank to find out what the needed count should be...why some vials might not have the required motility...how banks measure post-thaw motility...and what can be done when a particular vial doesn't live up to standards, which can happen on occasion.

Answers came from the CEO:

A. If anyone has a vial that doesn't meet the standards promised, you should contact the sperm bank in question immediately and report the specimen evaluation results so they can be aware and can rectify. In CCB's case, that contact person would be Melonee Evans, Parent Support Team Manager, 866-927-9622 x1240. [as of June 2007]

B. Sperm motility is a key element in screening donors; very few
potential donors qualify because their sample must meet a post-thaw standard set by each bank. Be sure to find out from any bank you use what their standards are, how they perform quality control for each donor sample, and what they do if a particular vial proves not to meet that standard.

C. For comparison with your own bank, if need be, here is how
California Cryobank tests its post-thaw count:

1. The vial is thawed in a 37C water bath for 6-10 minutes.

2. The specimen is mixed by gently inverting and rolling the vial in the palms of the technician's hands.

3. A count and motility are performed within 15 minutes of removing the post-thaw vial from the water bath. If the values do not correlate within 30% of the original pre-freeze counts, additional counts are performed until there is overwhelming evidence that values being reported are accurate.
-- The sample used in the count is about 1/1000th of the entire sample, and could in some cases not be representative of the entire sample. CCB always does a duplicate post-thaw count. If duplicate values do not correlate within 30% of each other, additional counts are performed until there is overwhelming evidence that values being reported are accurate.

4. The average post-thaw TOMO (Total Motility) is calculated.
-- Total Motile sperm/vial = (Average Count) x (Average Motility) x (Volume)

5. The TOMO must meet or exceed our published guarantee. CCB Guarantee (post thaw):
-- Premium Vials ICI -- A minimum of 15 million motile sperm per vial
-- Premium Vials IUI -- A minimum of 10 million motile sperm per vial
-- A.R.T. Vials ICI -- A minimum of 8-14 million motile sperm per vial
-- A.R.T. Vials IUI -- A minimum of 5-9 million motile sperm per vial
-- When comparing various banks, please note that some guarantees are measured per milliliter, while others (including CCB) measure per vial.

6. If the results of the vial do not allow them to be categorized
as ￜPremium," a secondary evaluation is made to determine whether they qualify for ART status or must simply be discarded."

....
So, rather technical post, but it's important for women to be
cognizent of the steps sperm banks must take to ensure that their
vials are useful....and especially helpful if women have a doctor with an ability to test the vials before insemination.