Introduction

Park Avenue Fertility (PAF) is a Semen Bank and Andrology Laboratory specializing in technological services for reproductive medicine. One of the services PAF provides is the distribution of quality cryopreserved anonymous donor semen to physicians for their patients to achieve pregnancy.

The use of anonymous donor semen has become commonplace for couples unable to have children on their own - due to male factor infertility or a male genetic disorder - or for a single woman or lesbian couple wishing to conceive. Physicians require cryopreserved donor semen specimens as the clinical standard of care, since frozen specimens are able to be quarantined, and donors screened to ensure that specimens are free from sexually transmitted diseases.

Because the use of anonymous donor semen has increased significantly over the past few years, and due to the lack of qualified donors, PAF finds it difficult to meet the demand for cryopreserved specimens. Consequently, PAF is actively seeking new donors to add to our program.

program requirements

PAF is continually recruiting applicants for PAF's Anonymous Donor Program. PAF asks potential applicants to consider carefully all possible implications involved with becoming a semen donor. The following is required:

» Donors must be between 20 and 38 years old
» Donors must possess a sincere, positive, mature attitude
» Donors must be in good health
» Donors must be free of hereditary diseases
» Donors must be able to donate for at least one year
» Donors must be able to provide a minimum of 2 - 4 specimens per month

Application Process

The procedure for becoming an anonymous semen donor is as follows:

1. Obtain and complete the Anonymous Donor Application. You can obtain this application online - just print out, complete and mail to PAF, or you can telephone PAF to receive an application.

2. PAF will review your application, and based on our current needs, we will contact you to set up an appointment for an interview.  

Prior to the interview, you must have a 2 to 4-day abstinence period.

Interview, Screening and Testing

At the time of your first appointment you will be asked to establish your identity by providing a photo I.D. We will review your application with you and discuss your reasons for wanting to become a donor.   We will answer any questions you may have about PAF's Anonymous Donor Program and will give you specific details about the program and explain how payments are made.  You will be asked to provide a semen specimen by personal masturbation in a private collection room on our premises. PAF will perform a complete semen analysis, freeze your specimen, and then thaw and re-analyze the frozen specimen the following day to determine if it's able to survive the freezing process. The specimen is used only for testing purposes and will not be stored.

If the first specimen yields promising results, we will require an additional semen specimen for a second analysis to check that the results are consistent. To be deemed acceptable, each semen specimen must be of normal volume, have an above average sperm count, have good motility before and after the freezing process, have normal morphology, and be free of extracellular debris. If all semen analysis parameters are acceptable, additional blood, urine, and semen tests will be performed.   PAF screens and tests donor applicants in accordance with New York State Department of Health regulations and FDA guidelines. Applicants will be tested for a variety of communicable diseases, including HIV (AIDS), hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. Specific genetic testing is required based on your ethnicity. The donor applicant must complete a Medical/Genetic History questionnaire and fill out a Personality Profile. Applicants must also sign an Anonymous Donor Consent Agreement in which you release all rights regarding the donation and disposition of your specimens.

If all tests/materials are favorable, PAF's consulting geneticist will evaluate whether or not you pose a risk of producing a child with a birth defect or genetic disease. If the geneticist deems the applicant as acceptable, PAF's Medical Director will then review all materials and either approve or reject the applicant.

On average, the entire screening process takes anywhere from 6 - 8 weeks.

Acceptance as a PAF Donor

If you are accepted into PAF's Anonymous Donor Program you will be assigned a confidential donor code and can begin donating on a regular basis.   Appointments are made at your convenience.  

Specimens are distributed for use following the required 180 day quarantine period.   Due to the nature of sexually transmitted diseases PAF requires blood/urine specimens every 30 - 60 days.

When a physician requests specimens based on your donor code, we will forward the frozen specimen, the semen analyses results, and your Donor Profile.   The Donor Profile contains a synopsis of your medical/genetic history and personality profile, but does not contain any identifying information.

All appointments and specimens are handled with the utmost confidentiality.

Donor Payment

After being accepted into PAF's Anonymous Donor Program, donors are paid $75.00.   Donors are paid $50.00 for each acceptable specimen.   Payment is made once a month for all acceptable specimens donated during the previous month.   In addition, a bonus of $25.00 per month is paid to donors who donate 5 or more acceptable specimens per month.   Donors can earn a maximum of $425 to $475 per month.

In addition, donors who refer a qualified applicant who is ultimately accepted into PAF's Anonymous Donor Program are paid $250.00!

If you feel that you would like to be a part of this program, or have any questions, please call us.   We look forward to hearing from you.