Directed Donor Program
A directed donor is a donor whose identity is known by the recipient. Directed donors are screened in the same way as anonymous donors.
Like an anonymous donor, a directed donor must be tested for HIV 1/2, HTLV-I/II, hepatits B, hepatitis C, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. In addition, the New York State Department of Health, FDA, and the American Association of Tissue Banks require that specimens deposited by directed donors be quarantined for a period of at least 180 days and released only after the directed donor is retested and tests non-reactive for HIV-1/2, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HTLV-I/II, syphilis, and chlamydia.
However, for directed donors who are blood relatives of the recipient's husband, the recipient may waive the quarantine period after being advised by her attending physician of the risks involved in doing so. In such cases, testing for HIV 1/2, HTLV-I/II, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea must have been performed after a date one month prior to the first donation and every three months thereafter, while the directed donor is engaged in donations. For all other directed donors, semen samples must be quarantined for 180 days. If the directed donor deposits specimens over a long period of time and/or leaves specimens for fresh inseminations, the directed donor must be retested every three months while he is actively donating.
Process
We take appointments Monday through Sunday. (Note: There is an extra processing charge for Saturday and Sunday appointments.) A referral from your physician is required to make the appointment. We recommend that the directed donor have a semen analysis performed with cyrosurvival to evaluate the quality of his specimens before proceeding any further.
The directed donor and the intended recipient must be present during the initial visit. Both parties are required to complete the directed donor paperwork, which includes the medical, genetic, and sexual history information about the directed donor. Blood and urine samples are then collected from the directed donor for testing.
A technician will then schedule an appointment for a physical examination for the directed donor with one of the physicians affiliated with IDANT.
When we receive the results of the testing and physical examination, the directed donor file is then reviewed by the Medical Director and Tissue Bank Director for approval.
If the directed donor is approved, he may begin depositing semen. Each semen sample is analyzed, processed, and stored under quarantine. Each semen sample deposited is tested for gonorrhea.
Please note that if a directed donor tests reactive for any of the tests for infectious diseases or if his ALT levels are outside acceptable levels, IDANT will discard these specimens and will do so without authorization from the depositor or the recipient and need not give prior notice to that effect.