Medical History Question

mpark

Hi Scott,

I am interested a specific donor, but in his Medical History there is a notation that one of his paternal cousins was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2.

Is this something that I should be worried about with this donor? Aren't these types of candidates ruled out as sperm donors?

There are studies now that show that Autism is genetically linked and can be tested.

What is CA Cryobank's policy on this?

Thanks

cryo-admin

Hi mpark,

I am one of the genetic counselors at California Cryobank and Scott forwarded your question to me to help address your concerns.

All of our donor applicants go through an extensive qualification process including a physical examination, semen analyses, family history evaluation, infectious disease and genetic disease screening. We collect information from the applicants in multiple formats and by several different staff members over the course of this process. We then review the information collected. If we find any discrepancies, the donor is unable to proceed unless he can clarify the medial history reported. If we find anything in a donor’s family history that indicates that his offspring have an increased risk for any specific medical problem at a higher rate as compared to the general population, that applicant is not eligible to continue with our program. This doesn’t mean that a donor with a good family history cannot produce a child who has medical problems. Three to four percent of all children are born with birth defects - usually things we could not have predicted prior to pregnancy. Therefore, there are no ways to eliminate the risks for medical problems in any child. However, we want to help you have as healthy a child as possible, and by the time we are through the screening process, we only end up accepting about 9 out of every 1000 applicants as donors in our program.

There is no single genetic test that can determine if you or I or any other person including our donors, could be at risk to have a child with autism. There are some genetic conditions such as Fragile X syndrome or Rett syndrome in which children may have autistic–like features as part of these disorders. There are genetic tests for those specific disorders and there are other genes which are known to contribute to a small percentage of cases of autism but there is no genetic testing available for the majority of cases of autism which are not associated with an underlying syndrome. Additional information is available through the Autism Society of America (http://www.autism-society.org).

If a donor applicant has a family member with autism, this does not necessarily mean that the donor’s offspring are at increased risk to have autism. We determine the relationship, gender, age, and other symptoms of the affected individual to determine how that diagnosis may be relevant to the donor’s offspring. We would not accept a donor to the program if his family history indicated that he had a higher risk to have a child with autism than anyone else in the general population. I’m not sure which donor’s history you are referring to in your message, but if a donor has a third degree relative with autism, such as a cousin, this donor’s risk to have a child with autism is not expected to be significantly increased compared to anyone else in the general population. Therefore, the chance for you to have a child with autism is not expected to be any different if you use specimens form that donor or from a donor who does not have any family members with autism.

Ultimately, if you are not comfortable with the information reported for a specific donor, then you may want to use specimens from a different donor because we want you to enjoy your pregnancy and feel that you have made the best decision for your family.

I hope this helps to answer some of your questions. Please feel free to contact us in the Genetics Department if we can be of further assistance. We can be reached at (877) 743 6384 between 8:00AM and 5:00PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.


Sincerely,

Pamela Callum
Certified Genetic Counselor

mpark

This is very helpful information. Thank you.

mpark

Pamela, I have one more question for you. I have read that there is a much greater chance for autism if you have a male child. Is autism more prevalent in any racial group than another?

Thank you.

cryo-admin

Hi

You are correct. For reasons that are currently unknown, boys are more likely to develop autism than are girls. There are many possiblities for this. It may be because several of the genes that contribute to autistic disorders (such as the gene for Fragile X syndrome) are inherited on the sex chromosomes (the X or Y chromosomes), or it could be due in part to hormonal or developmental differences in boys and girls. There are no specific ethinc groups which are known to have a higher risk for autism than others.

California Cryobank is involved in research to help try to understand the causes of autistic disorders. Advances in medical genetics may some day help us to screen out donors from our program if their offspring are at increased risk for autism. This is not possible at this time but we make every effort to reduce the risk for developmental disorders and other medical problems our donors' offspring using the tools that are currently available.

Pamela