OHSU Fertility Sperm Donor Policies

Sperm donor waiting list

Some sperm donors may be in such high demand that it may be difficult to purchase them from the donor list.  We may always be "out" because the frozen semen to be released has  been promised to those on our waiting list. You may want to consider being placed on our waiting list if the donor you selected always seems to be "out". Please familiarize yourself with our Waiting List Policy.

Waiting list policy

  • The Andrology Lab will start and maintain a waiting list when current availability for a donor is exhausted and future availability is possible. Future availability may occur either when a new batch is released or when prepurchased samples are sold back to the Lab.
  • The fee per waiting list per donor is $100, non-refundable and non-aplicable to any future purchase. Once on the list, no additional fee is required as long as the recipient chooses to continue to be placed on subsequent lists.
  • Only one waiting list per donor will be created. If several future releases are expected, the list applies only to the next release. A new list will be created as soon as availability is exhausted following contact with people on the current list.
  • Recipients will be placed on the waiting list in the order the request is received. However, recipients requesting samples for a sibling will receive priority and will be placed higher on the list. If this happens, a new recipient will be moved to a place lower on the list than would otherwise be the case. Other unforeseen circumstances may also necessitate moving a recipient to a lower place on the list, although the Lab hopes these circumstances will be infrequent.
  • Being on the waiting list does not guarantee availability. It is possible that availability will be exhausted before all the names on the list are exhausted, that the release of an anticipated batch may never take place, that the release may take place later than anticipated, or that the donor will become geographically restricted (GR) before the release and become unavailable to recipients in the defined area (Oregon and southern Washington).
  • Recipients for whom availability does not occur may choose to be placed on the subsequent list for the same donor at no additional cost if release of a future batch is anticipated and the donor has not become GR.
  • When samples become available, recipients will have 48 hours (excluding weekends) to respond to our attempt to contact them. If a response is not made to us, the recipient's name will be removed from the list and the Lab will proceed to the next person on the list.
  • Recipients who do not wish to use or ship samples within 2 days may pre-purchase (purchase and store). Please see our pre-purchase policy.
  • The Lab requires that both the recipient intake questionnaire, with the physician's signature of authorization, and the recipient consent form, with the recipient's and the recipient's partner's signature notarized, be completed and turned into the Lab in order to place a name on the waiting list.

Semen pre-purchase policy

For samples pre-purchased from OHSU 

Fees

At the time the samples are pre-purchased, the patient pays the full cost of the samples plus an initial processing fee of $50. 

Storage

  • The first 6 months of storage are free.
  • Storage past the first 6 months, regardless of the number of samples stored, is billed at $250 (the yearly storage rate).
  • Payment is made in full at the beginning of each yearly storage period after the first 6 months.
  • No refund is given for a partial year's storage.
  • No sample withdrawal fee is charged for sample retrieval and usage.
  • Storage begins with the pre-purchase of the first sample. Storage terminates:
    • a) at the end of the first 6 months or at the yearly expiration date if the annual fee is not paid; or  
    • b) when all samples have been used and none remain in the Bank B. 

Only one storage period can be in effect at a time. Pre-purchase of additional samples during an existing storage period does not initiate a new storage period and the expiration date for these samples is the expiration date associated with the existing storage period. Pre-purchase of additional samples when no storage period is in effect due to a) or b) above initiates a new storage period. Samples for which the annual fee has not been paid by the expiration date revert to the ownership of the OHSU Andrology Lab and no buy-back is made.

  • Notification of yearly storage renewal is made one month in advance of the expiration date.

Buy-back policy

Buy-back of OHSU pre-purchased samples is made according to the following schedule:

Elapsed time Buy-back rate
0-1 years 50% of original cost
1-2 years 25% of original cost
>2 years no refund

The Andrology laboratory must receive a written request to buy-back samples. Failure to pay the annual fee does not constitute a request to buy-back.  

Released samples

OHSU samples removed from OHSU storage and transported off campus have a "released specimen" status. Under no circumstances will these "released" samples be repurchased by OHSU.

Frozen samples can be returned for the user's continued storage for a $40 fee.

Samples are held in OHSU storage for 3 months at no additional charge. However, if any samples remain after 3 months a yearly storage fee is assessed  and payable in full at the beginning of the storage period. No refund is given for partial year storage.