What paperwork do I need to order specimens?
If you wish to start by self-insemination at home, then you will need paperwork for working without a physician. If you are going to have your doctor, nurse, or midwife perform intrauterine inseminations then you need to submit the paperwork for working with a physician. You must file the appropriate paperwork for us to fill your orders. If you submit forms for working without a physician and then call and tell us to ship to your doctor, or that you are working with a doctor for your inseminations we will not be able to fill your order. If you would like the flexibility of doing either, then provide us with both agreements and your doctors release. See our web page release forms.

Can I fax my client paperwork to the Cryobank?
No. We no longer accept client paperwork faxed to us for registration. Although faxed copies can be used legally, we have had information that was critical show up unreadable.
You must submit the originals of the client registration form (2 pages), donor selection form (1 page), and request for donor sperm agreement (2-3 pages), and doctors release form (1 page) if using a health care provider. This can be done by general mail or by expedited letter service through most major carriers. We will accept copies for proof of age.

Can I place an order as soon as my paperwork has been received by the Cryobank?
Not until we have reviewed your file and created your account. In order to be fair to all, we process client paperwork in the order that it was received. We will notify you of our receipt of your paperwork by email if you provide us with an email address that we are able to read on your client registration form.
It normally takes our office from one to five business days to review your paperwork and then create your account after we receive your paperwork. Length of time depends upon our workload. We do not charge a fee to register with our facility.

If I paid a deposit, how can I get my dewar deposit refunded back to me?
All you need to do is request your dewar deposit back by phone, note, or email. That'll get the ball rolling. Once we can confirm that the equipment has been returned to us in good condition and that your account is current, we will issue you a deposit refund check within one to five business days. Please be aware that once you request your deposit returned, you will not be able to order specimens again on that account. Should you wish to order further specimens at a substantially later date for siblings etc., you will be required to submit new client registration paperwork and may at that time again be required to submit an equipment deposit. We will not accept, refund, and accept deposits repeatedly within one years time. This creates additional overhead for us and can create confusion, so be sure that you are currently done using our product and services when requesting your refund.

Can I re- use the home insemination kit supplies?
These supplies are sterile and individually wrapped and should never be re-used.
Once used, these supplies could harbor bacterial growth and contaminate or affect any specimens used with the same supplies at a later time. Order one set per specimen.

If I order multiple specimens, can I use one at a time without thawing out the others?
Yes. You will be able to remove only the specimen or specimens that you wish to use right away from the shipping dewar. You can see how the dewar is used at our web page dewar information.

Can I defrost one specimen and use part now and part later?
Once thawed, a specimen should always be used in its entirety. If you refreeze a specimen, many more of the sperm will be killed. Use the whole specimen, as the sperm will live longest in your internal environment of the upper reproductive tract.

I ordered two vials and can only find one vial in my dewar? I'm missing a vial!
Don't panic. We do check and re-check each and every shipment for completeness. We normally ship one vial per cane unless room in the dewar requires multiple vials per cane. If you have a cane in your delivery dewar that does not have a vial on it, then please check the bottom of the dewar can for the missing vial. Vials are held onto the cane by slight friction only. Should the dewar get banged around hard on transport a vial will occassionally pop out of the friction hold of the cane and fall to the bottom of the can. It is still very easy to retrieve for use. Simply lift the can handle straight up and out of the dewar and its' shipping box. Turn the can upside down over a flat area of floor (not over the box or dewar) and the vial will fall out. You can then return the can to the dewar, place the vial back onto a cane and return the cane w/vial back into the dewar can in the dewar until ready to remove and use. Should you actually find that a vial is missing entirely after checking the can, please call the lab during regular business hours only as we are unable to address this issue at other times.

What does the number printed on the dewar mean? It doesn't match my donor number?
The number written on the top shoulder of the dewar that becomes visible when you open your shipment is only our ID number for the shipping dewar itself (for our tracking purposes). This number has nothing to do with the donor number within the shipment.
You will need to match the donor number on the invoicing with the donor vials inside the dewar. Just follow the instruction sheet that comes with your shipment.

Can I specify the time of day for my delivery?
We are unable to arrange for specific delivery times. We are unable to arrange for weekend deliveries of this product.

Do I have to be home for my delivery?
No, but you should have someone available to accept the delivery at your delivery address of choice. A large package left on a front porch or other isolated or private location is an invitation for thieves. You should also use this logic for pickup and return to us. We have had clients responsible for the loss of dewars because they have been stolen when left unattended for the carrier to pick up. Don't be a crime victim by leaving packages that would be easy for someone to steal.

Can I have the delivery made to a UPS store or similar private mail station?
Unfortunately, we can't offer that service, but we can have deliveries held at the nearest carriers facility such as a local DHL receiving facility. The package can be held there for you to pick up.

Can I pay by credit card?
Most orders can be paid with major credit or debit cards. We will need the card number and card security code (card verification value), cardholders name and address. We process all card transactions through NOVA systems for verification and to avoid fraudulent use of credit cards all information must match their data base records for that card and authorize for the purchase. We are not able to process multiple cards for a single purchase, process third party cards, nor will we attempt authorization on the same card more than two times unsuccessfully. Please make sure that your card information is up to date and that you will not be extended beyond the limit on the card with your purchase. For more details see our web page on payment information.

Will I have to put down a deposit for the use of a shipping dewar?
You may be required to submit a dewar deposit prior to shipments. If you are required to do so, payment options are explained at payment information.
The dewars that we ship our specimens in are expensive, and just like going to an equipment rental yard, we may require a deposit from clients as our means of insuring that our equipment will be returned to us in good condition and in a timely manner. Deposits on shipping dewars are completely refunded to you when our equipment is returned to us without damage and you no longer need to use our dewar for shipments. Deposit refunds are issued back to you by mailing you a check within the week of your request.
NW Cryobank makes the sole determination as to whether we will require an equipment deposit to ship to any client. The equipment deposit requirement has been so successful in reducing theft of our equipment that it has helped us to keep our prices for products as low as possible.

Are all donors on the donor listing available?
In general the donors listed are available for purchase, but that doesn't mean that they are available for immediate use. All donor specimens are held in quarantine for a minimum of six months by federal regulation. Specimens that are in quarantine are also available for purchase, but not for immediate use.

How long will it be for my quarantined units to be released for my use?
That depends upon the date that we are able to re-run donor testing at a time greater than six months after the donation was made and frozen. We are happy to give you estimates of the anticipated release time, but are unable to guarantee an exact date until the donors blood has been drawn and we have received the results of the lab testing from the outside reference lab. Although this can be extremely frustrating when waiting for the release of specimens, it can be a great way of having your donor of choice ready for your use if you are able to plan ahead.

What are my chances of success?
If you are of normal fertility, under the age of 38 (statistically important), and are able to time your inseminations appropriately to your ovulation, your chances of success should approach that of a normal fertile couple, which is about 20% per cycle. You can see our latest stats reported by clients on the web at general information.

How long should I try?
We normally suggest that if you are unable to achieve any success within 6 well timed cycles of artificial insemination, then it's time to get more aggressive by getting checked out again by a physician that deals with infertility. They may suggest that you proceed to intrauterine inseminations to get more sperm higher in the reproductive tract at exactly the right time to increase your odds of success, or they may determine that there are other fertility factors. Of course there are many reasons that one may not achieve pregnancy even if fertilization of the egg occurs during a cycle, and only your physician will be able to assess you physically.

How many pregnancies are allowed from one donor?
We stop sales to new clients at 10 pregnancies reported (in the US).  We don't ship internationally much any more. Occasionally, but not much. We have no such thing as "unlimited" donors and never have.
We only freeze limited quantities of all of our donors, which in and of itself limits the number of pregnancies statistically.
If we have 10 reports and then still have inventory, and someone that reported a pregnancy (prior) wishes for full siblings we will still provide, but only if they have the history of reporting the other success.
Stopping sales at 10 has worked very well, but sometimes we will end up with a few over because of people that have pre purchased and stored specimens using them later and thus reporting later. In other words if you have purchased and stored specimens those are yours to use whenever.  If we should stop sales because of pregnancies reported, we do not go back to those clients and tell them that they can't use the ones that they pre purchased.
However the number of clients that pre purchase specimens and hold them for very long is not very many. 
Most of the time we run out of a donors specimens prior to stopping sales.

What is CMV and what do I need to know?
We have pretty good information on the website at our CMV webpage.
As most clients wish not to test their own CMV status (hassle and expense), we have demand on CMV negative donors that exceeds supply. Our CMV negative donors almost always have waiting lists for use. If you do test yourself and you do show past exposure to CMV, as most will, then not only would your child be almost immune to potential CMV complications, but your donor selection choices are wider and more available. Because of these considerations, getting tested and knowing ones CMV status can be a real plus and we encourage all clients to get tested. In the general scheme of things, most people are totally oblivous to the existance or ramifications of CMV, and it would only rarely be a consideration for most couples considering having children.

What needs to be done to transfer ownership of vials?
The transfer of ownership of anonymous commercial donor sperm held in storage at NW Andrology & Cryobank must be authorized by NW Andrology & Cryobank.
Both parties, the seller and the purchaser, must be currently registered clients of NW Andrology & Cryobank in good standing.  The purchaser must have a shipping address to which NW Andrology & Cryobank can provide delivery service through DHL.
We will not transfer the ownership of a portion of the units held by the seller, as disputes can arrise over the specificity of units sold or retained.   All units held in storage must be transferred from the seller to the purchaser at one time.  This will close the storage account of the seller.
Neither the account of the seller or the purchaser can have an outstanding balance due.

The seller would need to provide to NW Andrology & Cryobank the following in order for a transfer to be considered for authorization:

a.)  A Bill of Sale in which the seller identifies the purchaser by name, the donor number, the number and format of the units to be transferred and states that she understands that she will no longer have access to any units of the donor.  This document must be signed and dated. If the specimens have ever left NW Andrology & Cryobank the Bill of Sale would need to so state and specify that no guarantee regarding the total motile sperm count would be provided  
b.) Administrative fee of $75.00 to execute the transfer once authorized.

The purchaser would need to provide to NW Andrology & Cryobank the following:

a.)  A completed storage agreement, either short or long term which can be downloaded on the website from the following page All Forms.
b.)  Pay in advance for storage
c.)  Have a $500.00 (US) dewar deposit on account, if required by NW Andrology & Cryobank, prior to any specimen shipment.

All incoming paperwork must be complete and processed prior to the authorization of the transfer or the acceptance of any orders to ship specimens.  Incoming paperwork is opened and processed in the order in which it was received so anticipate that it will require a minimum of five business days for processing and longer if the paperwork is incomplete.  The transfer of ownership of donor sperm is not a service that can be authorized and provided on short notice.  Please plan well in advance.

The financial arrangements between the seller and purchaser are independent of NW Andrology & Cryobank.  NW Andrology & Cryobank will not accept funds from the purchaser for the seller.

The purchaser is required to remit funds for all services in advance and to comply with all of NW Andrology and Cryobank standard policies regarding the placement of orders to have specimen’s shipped, the dewar return, late order fees, storage charges, etc.  No orders could be accepted from the purchaser until the transfer of ownership has been completed and authorized.

NW Andrology & Cryobank is not able to accept transfers of sperm specimens from other facilities that are then transferred or sold to a new party.

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