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what makes one donor more popular than others?

lauraalice26lauraalice26 Posts: 50
in Selecting a Sperm Donor
I was just wondering..I cant seem to find anyone on here using my d.s. # 05749 but can find other particular d.s. id's a million times on this discussion board?

just find it interesting, maybe it's my sociology background..

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    Jennifer7170Jennifer7170 Posts: 69
    Well, just an fyi....most of the "popular donor" have the nice physically appealing characteristics but in my own opinion and I am a nurse....medical history should also be a huge part in the decision. Some of the donors seem to be quite popular but when I did my research, found such things as; pancreatic cancers, breast cancers, alcoholism. Big NO NO's in my mind. Also, my donor never came up either and then all of a sudden, someone bought a huge amount of his vials. I had to panic and purchase a ton as well. Now he is retired.
    Good Luck.
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    bayne11bayne11 Posts: 10
    i think it also depends on who purchased the sperm. i have friends who purchased a now retired donor and they would never have posted on the message boards. some people just aren't into posting.

    i also agree with jennifer... my girlfriend and i found what we thought would be the perfect donor until we saw his medical records. all four grandparents have high blood pressure and there was some prostate and colon cancer mixed in as well. i'd rather have a healthy kid who can't throw a ball and doesn't look like brad pitt then one with potential health risks. that said, both our dad's have had heart attacks and heart bi-pass surgery... that could obviously be passed along, but we'd rather take our chances with a cleaner medical history.

    and honestly, i'd rather have a donor that isn't popular then is... i always have this funny fear of being on an oprah type show in 30 years with all 50 of my kids' half siblings on the stage and meeting the donor for the first time.
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    lauraalice26lauraalice26 Posts: 50
    well you guys make me feel better..my donor has a great history, that is the main thing i do take into consideration..i just felt like i went with the wrong donor at first, when i couldnt find anybody using the same donor..but it's a good way to look at it as i dont want my child to have 100 other offsprings, or anything like that either.

    thanks!!
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    bayne11bayne11 Posts: 10
    the funny thing about all this stuff is that you just never know what's going to happen when your genes meet his genes. even in a "normal" conception, you could have no history of something but yet it pops up. or, you could pick a book worm and end up with a NFL quarterback. nature is definitely a large part of it, but so is nurture.

    i'm sure you made an awesome choice and your future babies will be perfect!
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    KhindraKhindra Posts: 7
    Jennifer-I made my decision primarily on health history, and secondary on looks/personality. I was shocked to find out the popular donor on the front page had asthma!
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    Jennifer7170Jennifer7170 Posts: 69
    Well Khindra,

    I am a critical care RN working in a busy trauma center and have been aN RN for 20 yrs now. I also come from a medical background as my maternal grandfather was an ob/gyn doc. (how ironic huh?) Anyway, the asthma wouldn't concern me as much as things like cancer, alcoholism/drug addiction, or juvenile diabetes (the diabetes which you tend to get at younger ages and take insulin rather than oral meds).

    Asthma is most of the time related to the person's environment. If they live in the city where there is polution, smokers, or in dirty city living environments, they are more likely to get asthma. THis is gross but people who have cockroaches in there home also tend to get/have asthma.

    So....on that note, asthma wouldn't really deter me but I do want as minimal a chance of any major medical problems passed down to my precious children to be.

    Khindra, have you chosen a donor and/or done your IUI? I am 4 days post IUI and dying to know if it worked!!! It was my 1st with clomid although I didn't have issues with ovulation. Kind of hoping for twins, really. Well, I chose donor #11397 and think he is just PERFECT. His childhood photos are amazing and he seems like such a kind and loving person. Check him out.

    Jen
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    Buffy905Buffy905 Posts: 11
    I am quite sure I chose the donor that bayne11 cautioned against - the donor with 4 grandparents who had high blood pressure. Myself and my dad both have high blood pressure and we have normal active lives despite it so this didn't bother me.

    I found my donor's profile to be very truthful and a manageable medical history vs some of the others where the medical history seems too good to be true when you see no significant medical problems identified. Sure maybe the donor's genes are that good, but maybe not. With Cryobank saying that they reject 99% of candidates - if you knew that going in - maybe you wouldn't identify everything you knew about your medical past since Cryobank doesn't obtain the family member's medical records....

    For me, the more I saw on medical history of factors that didn't bother me, the better. The ones that kept saying no medical history issues - I stayed clear of them.
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    KhindraKhindra Posts: 7
    Jen-

    Asthma was a concern for me because I have pretty severe asthma and I didn't want a double whammy, ya know? I also really was concerned about other health problems as well.

    I picked 12209. We have IUI planned for next month. I am so excited!! My first one, hoping it works.

    I hope you find that bfp soon Jen!

    Khindra
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    jjr3jjr3 Posts: 79
    As mentioned before, I think many people who use a donor just decide not to post. There are so many people that are completing their family because their spouse cannot have biological children and therefore choose to remain quiet. I believe some donors become popular through "word of mouth" or board discussion. When we were choosing our donor, I noticed all it took was someone to mention a high number ranking in looks for a donor to take off in popularity. I think this process is unnerving because in so many respects, we are blind and having to trust that CCB is giving us an adequate portrayal of the donor. Therefore, people feel more comfortable when someone else has chosen their donor in case they may have missed something. The donor we chose does not have much discussion here on the board but I can say my daughter is brilliant and beautiful. I have also been in contact with another woman who has a child by the same donor and her son is so handsome. Go with your gut instinct and you will be fine
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    agnes01agnes01 Posts: 2
    Buffy905 - I could not agree more! I found a donor who listed quite a few medical issues but none that gave me great concern. Those donors that listed no medical issues throughout their family I feel either did not know of the specific issues or did not choose to list them. So I feel the donor who listed the issues probably is trying to be as truthful as possible. I haven't made my final decision, but I do think this is important to consider.
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