Hello and welcome to the Fairfax Cryobank Family Forum!
The forum has a new look and the Fairfax Team is so excited to create the best experience for our users.
To Note:
Private Donor Groups and Private Sibling Connection Groups are now located under the category "Groups". Search the donor number in the search box and you should find exactly what you're looking for!
Questions about your forum access? Email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com
Follow these steps to join a private donor group:
1) Press "Join" at the right of the group
2) Once prompted to confirm your request please list this information so we can verify your information:
Name (under which the vial was purchased)
Email
Clinic Name
Donor number
Child Date of Birth
*If you are looking to start a private group for a PRS donor please email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com with the above information and that you are looking for a PRS group*
If you have any questions about the verification process please email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com
The forum has a new look and the Fairfax Team is so excited to create the best experience for our users.
To Note:
Private Donor Groups and Private Sibling Connection Groups are now located under the category "Groups". Search the donor number in the search box and you should find exactly what you're looking for!
Questions about your forum access? Email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com
Follow these steps to join a private donor group:
1) Press "Join" at the right of the group
2) Once prompted to confirm your request please list this information so we can verify your information:
Name (under which the vial was purchased)
Clinic Name
Donor number
Child Date of Birth
*If you are looking to start a private group for a PRS donor please email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com with the above information and that you are looking for a PRS group*
If you have any questions about the verification process please email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com
Total Motile Count
tillie
Member Member
Thought it might be nice to start a thread where people could report in on vials of donors recently used and what the TMC and motility % was so that others may know which donors are looking potent and which they may want to consider avoiding. If you've had an IUI (or ICI) recently, what were your donor's numbers pre and post wash?
Comments
Does anyone know more about this? Are all doctors using the numbers to refer to the same thing?
Sperm counts will vary 10-30% depending on the lab personnel and counting method. Laboratory variation is expected and taken into consideration when processing complaints. The possibility exists that sperm counts performed at other laboratories may be less than the stated specimen standards. Semen is not a homogenous or uniform mixture which adds to sample variability. A variation in count does not indicate the specimen is not suitable for insemination or that a pregnancy will not result if used for an insemination. Fairfax Cryobank takes these variations into account when determining eligibility for refund or credit.
Please visit our website to read more details about specimen quality: http://www.fairfaxcryobank.com/qualitystandard.shtml
Also, check out this interesting blog post from Michelle Ottey, PhD, Fairfax Cryobank Director of Operations: How much sperm is enough?
I think often times we have numbers that are given to us or that we see but we are not talking apples to apples.
Oh and good luck!
Then report it all back to us and check the numbers against Fairfax's warranty to see if you need to have your RE call Fairfax ASAP to report the warranty issue.
Yeah, I would just confirm with your RE that indeed it met the 10 mill threshold. If it did, that should mean that those are the motile ones that are movers and you're ok. But I'm definitely no expert. I wonder if maybe some sperm just does not do well surviving the thaw. The 10 mill warranty means the 10 mill has to hold up post thaw.
Sorry for the disappointment. I hope the RE was wrong. This stuff is confusing though. I do sometimes wonder if CCB does far better with the sperm quality of the vials they sell.
I'm taking some time off. But, when I try again I will be using another donor. Good luck!
Hello. I reviewed this thread and thought it may be helpful to give you an explanation of how counts are completed and what numbers are important.
Every donor specimen is analyzed for several parameters, the most relevant to this discussion are the count, motility, and progression. The specimen must meet our internal high standards in order to be processed.
When a specimen is processed as an IUI pre-washed sample we do a wash to remove the seminal fluid then do a second analysis to ensure the quality is still within acceptable range. A freezing media with cryoprotectant is added to the sample, then the sample is checked again for quality, then frozen.
Some of the sperm will not survive the process of being frozen and thawed. The cryoprotectant obviously serves to improve those numbers. We place a specific number of sperm cells in each vial to account for the freeze/thaw loss. Every specimen then has a test vial thawed to ensure a good post thaw motility and confirmation of the total motile cells after the freeze/thaw.
Our quality standard states that there will be 10 million total motile cells in each vial for our ICI and IUI preps. If a specimen’s test vial does not meet this standard we will not sell the specimen date.
We state in our Specimen Quality Standard, as do most Cryobanks, that there is counting variability between labs due to technician variability, counting chambers being used, etc. This means that we may count the sample and grade the motility and have a final TMC of 10 million, and your clinic may look at the sample and say they find 12.4 million TMC or 9 million TMC.
If a pre-process analysis from your clinic demonstrates a TMC lower than our 10 million TMC standard and you do not achieve pregnancy the vial is eligible for a refund.
It is important to look at the clinic’s pre-process analysis as any manipulation of a sample will alter the numbers. If the clinic does the analysis and determines a TMC of 10 million or more then does a wash on a sample and the second analysis shows 8 million TMC, that vial is not eligible for a refund.
The analysis uses an incredibly small volume of the sample.
I hope you find this helpful.