The Aligneage Donor Program

Is your donor an Aligneage Donor?

by Justine Witzke, PhD, MPH

TL;DR

• 10-family limit

• No database to search - we search for you

• All eligible donors

• Exclusive donors

• Available in 2025

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The first reports of sperm donation go back many, many decades and include anecdotes such as “the most handsome medical student” being asked to serve as a sperm donor on a whim. Despite gamete donation being an inherently altruistic process and the overwhelming majority of donors and providers being well-intentioned, this history is marred with issues.

Since sperm donation was first commercialized in the 1970s, there have been numerous notable changes in what a family looks like, the capabilities of fertility treatments, advancements in testing including direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and both the experience and expectations of patients. Yet, diversity of available donors remains an ongoing challenge and the process by which a recipient finds a donor has remained relatively consistent. Sperm donor selection typically involves ordering samples via a website with drop down menus based on phenotype and options to obtain additional information for additional fees. While this process has helped to build many thousands of families, it leaves a bit to be desired for some folks.

Recently, options have developed to find and get to know your prospective sperm donor. This is a modern interpretation of directed donation we refer to as “facilitated known donation,” and it allows an ongoing relationship between the donor, recipient(s), and the donor-conceived child(ren). While this model provides a new and exciting alternative that feels perfect for some future parents, it is not for everyone.

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In fertility there are several right answers to most questions.

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At Aligneage Fertility, we combine what has been learned over the last several decades with our ethical commitments to autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and shared decision-making and apply it to the donor recruitment, screening and testing, and matching processes.

FDA and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) have requirements and regulations designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases among people who are not sexually intimate partners. Professional organizations have recommendations and guidelines to help improve safety. Ultimately, the safety of the donor, recipient, and prospective child(ren) are the most important aspects.

Testing and screening of prospective Aligneage Donors includes:

•      Education and informed consent

•      Assessment of risk behaviors

•     Personal and family health histories

•      Genetic testing and counseling, including chromosome analysis

•      Psychological testing and counseling

•      Infectious disease testing

•      Toxicology (drug) testing

•    Physical examination

•      Semen analysis and post-thaw testing

•      6-month quarantine and retesting for infectious diseases

Aligneage Donors meet FDA eligibility and NYSDOH suitability requirements.

Aligneage Donors agree, as part of their participation in the program, to a few additional, important features:

• Identity release. The donor-conceived people will have the right to request the donor’s identity and contact information at the age of 18 or earlier.

• Exclusivity. Donors agree not to donate at other banks or through other matching programs. While it is impossible to bar a donor from donating at another sperm bank and it is, of course, possible and likely for him to have his own children and/or serve as a directed donor to a personal friend or family member, Aligneage Fertility’s efforts to limit the number of matches to ten (10) or fewer serves to reduce the overall number of families that might be built from a single sperm source.

• Communication. Rather than just asking the donor to report if any important changes have occurred in his personal or family medical history, Aligneage Fertility takes on this responsibility and contacts the donor at least annually for updates and to provide any relevant medical information that might have been provided by a recipient family.

How will you find your Aligneage Donor if there’s not a database to search? We’re here to help! The same team of fertility professionals who tests and screens your donor will meet with you to determine your overall family planning plan and what you’re looking for in a donor. Then, we’ll offer a profile or a few to review. The same people you meet will have met your donor.

Aligneage Donor vials will be available in 2025. Contact us anytime to learn how we can help build your family.