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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

How did you choose?

twinbtwinb Junior Member Junior Member
I am new here and I was wondering how did you choose your donor? I am in the middle stages (narrowing it down) to a few donors. I find it difficult to chose with no pictures to look at. I am single therefore don't have to do the photo match. I know I am CMV negative and my blood type is negative as well, so I have narrowed it down using those requirements. I like the staff impressions but I feel they can be subjective (eg. what one might find "attractive" another won't). Thanks

Comments

  • Melissa33Melissa33 Senior Member Senior Member
    I'm single as well. I found the pictures and interview helpful. The medical background was also important. For me it ultimately came down to gut instinct. Good luck deciding!!!!
  • fairlyvanillafairlyvanilla Junior Member Junior Member
    I'm married, and we've had several miscarriages via IVF, so the #1 most important thing for us is PROVEN pregnancies, with live births. I can't stress enough. If I had a child for every positive pregnancy test, beta hcg test, or ultrasound....well, I certainly wouldn't be posting in the forum right now planning our next fresh/frozen IVF cycle. -_-

    Other than live birth rate, a general ancestry that reflects that of myself and my husband, eye color, hair color, health, education, interests. We aren't interested in finding a "photo match" -- we just want a healthy baby. I don't know if that helps you or not -- it's certainly overwhelming since there are a LOT to choose from. My husband & I are both CMV negative, but both blood types are +, so we looked at that as screening as well. Good luck choosing!
  • janbabyjanbaby Senior Member Senior Member
    I am also CMV Negative with negative blood type, and wanted a donor with same hair and eye coloring as my husband so that narrowed my choices way down. I went with a positive blood type however and just rec'd the Rhogam shot. The most important thing to us was the medical section. My donor was new when I choose him with no pregnancies reported then bam he had 20 reported. I unfortunately didn't buy enough vials, so if you plan on siblings I would recommend doing that, my donor is no longer available. Good luck to you!
  • sassyonesassyone Junior Member Junior Member
    Twinb, I'm also working to narrow down my choices and have found it a little overwhelming. I found the staff impressions entertaining prior to joining Club Fairfax and agree the comments are subjective. The pictures add a extra layer to weed through so good and bad. Medical history is most important to me, but in the end when a healthy child is born, we will love them no matter what. I wish you the best as we both embark on this next phase of our lives.
  • Baby meBaby me Junior Member Junior Member
    Fairly vanilla - when you say PROVEN pregnancies with live births, do you mean via the forum or elsewhere?
  • fairlyvanillafairlyvanilla Junior Member Junior Member
    Fairly vanilla - when you say PROVEN pregnancies with live births, do you mean via the forum or elsewhere?

    Well, I mean via the forum, from Fairfax, or through people I've known who've used donors from Fairfax. I think the problem I'm having with the info Fairfax provides on the donor profiles is that it is just "pregnancy reported". It doesn't tell you if that pregnancy or pregnancies ended in miscarriage. This is vital information to me, especially since I've miscarried so many times, and all the testing points to there being an issue with the embryos, possibly from something on my husband's side of things, which isn't showing in any semen analysis or karotyping, or sperm fragmentation test.... There isn't anything else left for us to try, or any more tests to do, except to try ds and see if that provides a different outcome with better embryos. So, unless I can talk to someone via the forums, or know someone in my personal life who has used a donor with success (meaning live healthy birth) I can't add that donor to my short list unless I know that for sure. I actually find it quite irritating that Fairfax doesn't just list it as "5+ healthy live births", "10+ healthy live births", etc., etc..... I can't stress enough how useless it is to know that a pregnancy was reported....just for an example, if my husband was a donor (which he could be, since his SAs have all been excellent), and I reported all the pregnancies from our cycles, it would be very misleading, since all my pregnancies have ended in miscarriage.
  • BarbraBarbra Member Member
    Hi Everyone,
    I have to say when I read through your posts, I didn't even think to look at the blood type. My daughter & I have different blood types, but everything is fine.
    I choose my donor by the characteristics I wanted my child to have. I first searched the physical qualities, eye color, height, weight. Then I weeded through that on the medical history, that was the most important. Then it was on to how smart he was, yes test scores, ladies, LOL. I also felt my donor would have made a good partner for me. His personality was different then mine and my daughter has his lol. I had it narrowed down to 2 donors. when I listened to the audio tape and heard how confident he was, I just knew he was the one. Like Melissa33 said, go with your gut.
    Good luck & baby dust to you all.
  • B4babyB4baby Member Member
    To fairlyvanilla- best of luck to you on this next go-round. I have an odd blood disorder and it was vital for me and my doctor to look at the CBC results of the donor before even doing the IUI. I'm so sorry for your losses. A friend of mine went through the same sort of situation. It turned out that her thyroid levels were off ever so slightly and with thyroid medication she was able to carry her son full term. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.
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