Family History

drmchkdrmchk Posts: 30
in Ask California Cryobank
Hi Scott,

It's a little late for me now, as I am pregnant (had first ultrasound today and saw heartbeat!!!) but my mom was questioning the fact that 12138 had only one "condition" in his family out of all that medical history.

She thinks that's "impossible." Just out of curiosity (and to be able to tell Mom), how far does California Cryobank go in terms of verifying donor's family members' health histories?

Thanks! Lisa G.

Comments

  • MariamrMariamr Posts: 54
    HI drmchk,
    I am so happy for you congratulations:)you must be really excited...I'll be starting my journey in three weeks hope i am as lucky as you:)

    wish you a healthy pregnancy
    mariamr
  • cryo-admincryo-admin Posts: 4,547
    Hi Lisa,

    Congratulations on your pregnancy!

    I am one of CCB’s three full time genetic counselors. We collect medical history information from the donor applicants in multiple formats over several weeks/months while they are going through an eligibility review. We compile all of the data that we obtain and interview each donor regarding at least three generations of family members. There is no way to eliminate the risk for birth defects in a child; however, If we find anything in an applicant’s family history that would suggest an increased risk for medical problems in that donor’s child compared to anyone else in the general population, we don’t let him continue with our program. If there is any medical history that we need more information about to evaluate that applicant – we send him home with questions until our concerns are satisfied or we don’t allow him to continue.

    We also follow up with our donors after they retire from our program and document any reports of medical problems in pregnancies or offspring of our donors. That way, if you fill out a pregnancy report with us and keep your contact information up to date, we can contact you in the future if we ever learn of new medical information that may be relevant to your child’s health.

    Please feel free to contact us if you require any additional information.


    Sincerely,

    Pamela Callum
    Certified Genetic Counselor
    (310) 443-5244, ext. 1045
  • drmchkdrmchk Posts: 30
    Keep us posted Mariamr! I'm thinking of you during what can be a stressful time!

    And thank you Pamela, for the info!
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