CMV test
Muza
Posts: 27
Why is it important to know if donor's CMV test is negative or positive? How should this affect my decision to use a certain donor? What are the consequences?
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Comments
CMV is nothing to worry about. A CMV positive donor simply means he carries the antibodies for the virus (much like anyone who has had chicken pox will always test positive for the chicken pox antibodies). It is not an indication that the donor is in any way contagious or can transmit the virus to you or your future baby.
If a donor applicant tests positive for an actual active CMV infection, he is disqualified. If a current donor were to test positive for an active infection (they are re-tested every three months), all the vials in quarantine collected since his last negative test result would be destroyed and he would be blocked from donating.
Estimates are that well over half the US adult population has been exposed to the CMV virus at some point. Odds are you are actualy CMV positive and would never know unless you were to do a blood test.
In our 30+ year history, we have never had a reported case of a CMV+ donor transmitting the virus to a recipient or offspring.
An active CMV infection can lead to complications during pregnancy, which is why CMV is even discussed. However, please be clear that a CMV+ donor is not carrying an active infection, only the antibodies for CMV. Testing positive for CMV antibodies is completely different than testing positive for an active CMV infection.
Best of luck,
Scott
CCB
No, we have not had a reported case of a CMV positive donor transmitting the virus to a recipient or offspring.
Please keep in mind that donors on our catalog that are listed as "positive" are IgG positive, but IgM negative. IgM negative indicates that the donor did not have a current or recent infection at the time. IgG positive indicates antibodies from historic exposure to the virus. (These antibodies will be detectable forever, indicating an immunity to the infection.)
One of the more common settings in which CMV is spread is in daycare centers for children, where an individual has an active infection and is shedding large numbers of viral particles.
According to published literature, the risk of acquiring CMV from a healthy sperm donor with a history of an old CMV infection is extremely low. The risk is further lowered if you use washed sperm (IUI vials). This is because the method used to prepare IUI vials significantly reduces the presence of white blood cells, the cells that are most likely to harbor the virus. Clients who are undergoing IVF with ICSI have virtually no chance of acquiring the virus from donor sperm because it is not transmitted via the sperm cell, which is directly injected into the egg with this technique. Although our extensive experience supports the findings in the medical literature, this is a decision you should ultimately make with your treating physician.
Regards,
Nicole
CCB