CMV

K WaltonK Walton Posts: 28
in Single Mothers by Choice
Hello everyone,

I've been looking at donors trying to find the right one for me. I am not sure what CMV means ? Hopefully someone can fill me in on this ? Should I get positive or negative or does it matter ? Any info would be great ! Best wishes to all on this journey !!!

Kimberly.W

Comments

  • MistyandCarlaMistyandCarla Posts: 720
    CMV is Cytomegalovirus. It is something that most women have and don't even know it. Your doctor should check you for this. This is how my doctor explained it...if you already have CMV, it's okay to have a donor with positive CMV. If you're negative, you'll want a negative donor.

    Check out this site...

    http://www.dhpe.org/infect/cytomegalo.html

    HTH's
  • lawgirl5lawgirl5 Posts: 13
    This is from another post last year about CMV. Helped me make my choice and I chose a CMV+ donor when I'm negative.

    The best thing to do is discuss your concerns with your physician. Some answers from our CMV Testing page http://cryobank.com/How-It-Works/Donor-Qualification/Infectious-Diseases-Screening/CMV-Testing/

    1. What is CMV?
    Cytomegalovirus, or CMV as it is more commonly known, is a member of the herpes virus family which includes cold sores, chicken pox and infectious mononucleosis. In healthy adults, infection with one of these viruses is characterized by an acute phase followed by an immune response. These viruses are not completely eliminated from the body but are confined in low numbers within certain cells for the lifetime of the individual. This person is healthy, has no evidence of disease and will not ordinarily transmit the virus to another person. If there is a suppression of the immune system, the virus may reactivate, shed viral particles and cause disease.

    2. Who is at risk of contracting a CMV infection?
    Nearly all adults will be exposed to CMV in their lifetime. In the USA, some 50-85% of adults will test positive for prior infection. In developing countries, it is almost 100%.

    3. If I am CMV antibody negative, what is my risk of acquiring a CMV infection from one of your sperm donors who is antibody positive for CMV?
    While we would never say the risk is zero, we believe that the risk is extremely low. Semen processing methods that remove white blood cells are thought to reduce that risk. In our opinion, any risk can be reduced by the use of IUI vials which are prepared by a density gradient method which removes nearly all white blood cells and seminal plasma. Based upon our experience and published literature, we do not believe that semen from a healthy donor who is antibody positive due to an old CMV infection poses any meaningful risk of transmitting CMV. This is, however, a medical issue that you should discuss with your physician.


    Good luck,

    Scott
    CCB
  • Miss. TamikaMiss. Tamika Posts: 1
    So when you go to the doctor for you paperwork, you know prior to ordering your package, they will tell you whether or not you have CMV
  • gretagreta Posts: 57
    Miss Tamika, My doctor did not routinely screen for CMV (like CCB, she felt it wasn't a concern), but I asked and so she ran a screen for that when she did all of my other blood work. You might have to ask your doctor specifically.
  • kimi723kimi723 Posts: 231
    Miss Tamika,

    I agree with greta, your doc probably will not run the test unless you ask for it. I was very glad that I did. Despite working in the health care field for 15+ years, I found out that I am CMV (-). After some discussions with my doctor, we agreed that it was probably best not to take any chances and went with a CMV (-) donor.
  • MistyandCarlaMistyandCarla Posts: 720
    For some reason, my doctor automatically ran it on me and I made my donor decision based on the donors CMV results.

    HTH's
  • lawgirl5lawgirl5 Posts: 13
    And remember...you are most likely to contract CMV from a child. Daycare facilities are very common places for it to be passed around.
  • nettibugnettibug Posts: 118
    ditto all from kimi723 (was shocked to find out I'm (-)!)
  • ArkmomArkmom Posts: 92
    It is a good idea to know your CMV status even if you don't take it into account when choosing a donor. If you are negative, like I was, you will want to avoid kissing or being slobbered on by babies and toddlers while you are TTC and pregnant. These are far more likely sources of CMV infection than your sperm donor. Having said that, I used a negative donor. I am just superticous enough to think that if I deliberately ignored a known risk, even a tiny one, that it would happen to me. However, if I had had trouble finding a donor I was happy with, I would have compromised on CMV status before i would have given up anything more substanative.
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