Directed donor or known sperm donor banking
A directed donor, also called a known donor, is someone you know personally who has agreed to donate sperm for your family-building journey. It may be a friend, family member, or co-parent. Whatever the arrangement, choosing a directed donor is a personal decision, and Cryomate supports it with the same care, transparency, and expertise we bring to every service we offer.
Our CAP-accredited andrology lab in Indianapolis and Nashville handles the collection, testing, and secure storage of directed donor sperm, ensuring that the process meets FDA requirements and ASRM guidelines, and that your samples are preserved safely for when you’re ready to move forward with treatment.
Is a directed donor right for your situation?
Directed donation is a meaningful option for a wide range of family-building paths. Some of the most common situations include:
LGBTQ+ couples or individuals who have a trusted friend or family member willing to donate.
Single parents who prefer to know the genetic background of their donor personally.
Co-parenting arrangements where both parties want a defined legal and medical framework.
Couples facing male-factor infertility who have a known donor they’d like to use.
Individuals who prefer the transparency and relationship of a known donor over an anonymous catalog selection.
One important consideration
Directed donation is more complex medically, legally, and socially than using an anonymous donor. Before proceeding, Cryomate strongly recommends that both the donor and the recipient have independent legal counsel in place, and that all parties consider speaking with a mental health professional experienced in donor conception. Cryomate does not manage legal contracts or mental health referrals โ those are important steps that happen independently, before the medical process begins.
The directed donor process at Cryomate
From your first conversation with our team to the moment your samples are secured and ready for treatment, here is what to expect.
Before committing to the process, the donor provides a sample for evaluation. Our andrology team performs a complete semen analysis โ assessing count, motility, and morphology โ and performs a test freeze and thaw to assess how well the sample survives cryopreservation. This step is optional but strongly recommended: it gives both the donor and recipient a clear picture of what to expect before investing in the full process.
Once you decide to proceed, the donor undergoes a comprehensive screening protocol required by FDA regulations and Cryomate policy. This includes infectious disease testing (HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, CMV, and others), a physical examination, and a social and medical questionnaire covering personal and family health history. Optional genetic carrier screening is also available โ and given Cryomate’s exome backbone testing capability (1,100+ gene conditions), this is a meaningful add-on worth discussing with your team.
The donor provides sperm samples at Cryomate’s lab. Each collection is processed and frozen into individual vials for future use. Up to seven freezes can be accommodated per collection visit; the number of visits recommended depends on your treatment type, the number of vials needed, and the quality of each sample. The donor should abstain from ejaculation for 48 hours before each visit.
This is where directed donation differs most from anonymous donor sperm. The FDA does not mandate a quarantine period for directed donors, but ASRM guidelines recommend a minimum 35-day quarantine followed by repeat infectious disease testing โ and Cryomate follows this recommendation.
There are two paths:
โข Standard quarantine path:
Samples are stored for a minimum of 35 days, then the donor undergoes repeat FDA testing. If all results are clear, samples are released for use. This is the path Cryomate recommends for the greatest confidence in sample safety.
โข Waived quarantine path (known donor):
If the recipient chooses to waive the quarantine period, a physician-signed waiver is required, and the recipient must sign a Consent to Use Ineligible or Quarantined Donor Specimen form. This path moves faster but carries additional risk that both parties should understand clearly.
Once the quarantine period is complete and all required documentation has been received and verified, Cryomate releases the samples for use. Samples can be shipped directly to your fertility clinic or, in eligible cases, to a home address for ICI home insemination. Shipping and additional storage fees apply โ full details are available on the Prices & Shipping page.
Required documents
Directed donation involves more steps than choosing a donor from our catalog, and that’s by design. Every document here exists to protect your donor, and any future family members. Some come from your physician or attorney, others are completed by you or your donor โ and our team will walk you through each one.
Physician Order (from your physician)
Cryomate Purchase and Service Agreement for Directed Donation (completed by you)
Directed Donor Consent and Agreement
Signed before any collections begin (signed by your donor)
Legal Clearance Letter (from your attorney or your donor’s)
Authorization for Release of Samples signed by your physician
Before any samples leave our facility (from your physician)
Recipient Consent to Use Ineligible or Quarantined Donor Specimen โ required if you choose to waive the recommended quarantine period.
Physician signature required. (completed by you)
Important to note
If a donor tests positive for a communicable disease (excluding CMV IgG), Cryomate policy requires the sample to be discarded and all further actions discontinued. This policy is in place to protect the health and safety of all clients and donors. We will communicate any such result to the relevant parties promptly and sensitively.
What directed donation costs
Understanding the full cost of directed donation before you begin is part of making an informed decision. Below is a complete breakdown of every cost involved in the process.
| Service | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Initial semen analysis with test freeze/thaw |
$165 | Optional but strongly recommended before committing |
| One collection with FDA testing | $2,030 | Includes 1 year of storage |
| Additional collections | $265 per collection | Up to 7 freezes per collection visit |
| Sample washing (if required for IUI) | +$120 | Add-on per collection if washing required |
| Repeat FDA testing post-quarantine | $800 | Standard quarantine path only โ not required if quarantine is waived |
| Shipping & additional storage fees | View pricing |
Does Insurance cover directed donor services?
Cryomate does not accept insurance directly. Clients may submit receipts to their insurance provider for potential reimbursement. Financing options are available through our partners CapexMD, Future Family, and PatientFi.
Our andrology labs
320 North Meridian Street, Suite 606
463.333.3530 ext. 3 | lab@cryomate.com
1105 16th St Suite C
463.333.3530 ext. 4 | TNdonor@cryomate.com
Directed donor collections must take place at one of Cryomate’s andrology lab locations.
The team supporting your directed donor process
Directed donor cases are handled by Cryomate’s andrology team under the direction of Dr. Sheela Ali, PhD, HCLD, CC, TS(ABB), with day-to-day laboratory operations led by Larissa Volz, MS. For clients considering optional genetic carrier screening as part of the directed donor process, Samantha Augustyn, MS, our board-certified genetic counselor, is available to guide those conversations.
Cryomate holds CAP accreditation, FDA registration, and CLIA certification. Every sample is handled with the care and scientific precision of a team dedicated entirely to reproductive biology and andrology.
Frequently asked questions
A directed donor โ also called a known donor โ is someone you know personally who agrees to provide sperm for your family-building journey. Unlike anonymous donors selected from a catalog, a directed donor’s identity is known to the recipient from the outset. The process involves the same FDA-required testing and screening as any donor program, with additional legal and documentation requirements to protect both parties.
The terms are often used interchangeably, and the distinction is actually just one practical difference- a directed donor follows the recommended quarantine period before samples are released. A known donor is a directed donor whose recipient has chosen to waive the quarantine. The waived-quarantine path requires a physician-signed waiver and additional consent documents from the recipient.
No โ the FDA does not mandate a quarantine period for directed donors. However, ASRM guidelines recommend a minimum 35-day quarantine followed by repeat infectious disease testing before samples are released. Cryomate follows this recommendation. If you choose to waive the quarantine, your physician must sign the required waiver form and you’ll be asked to sign a Consent to Use Ineligible or Quarantined Donor Specimen.
This depends on your treatment type and the quality of each sample. Up to seven freezes can be accommodated per collection visit. For most IUI or ICI treatment plans, 3โ5 vials per cycle is typical โ so the number of visits needed will depend on your goals and sample quality. The initial semen analysis and test freeze gives both parties a realistic picture before the full process begins.
Yes. Directed donor collections must take place at one of Cryomate’s andrology lab locations in Indianapolis or Nashville. Once collections and all required documentation are complete, samples can be shipped anywhere in the US to your chosen fertility clinic, or in eligible cases to a home address for home insemination.
Six documents are required: a Physician Order, a Legal Clearance Letter from an attorney, the Cryomate Purchase and Service Agreement for Directed Donation, an Authorization for Release of Samples (physician-signed), a Directed Donor Consent and Agreement (signed by the donor), and โ if waiving quarantine or if the donor is deemed ineligible โ a Recipient Consent to Use Ineligible or Quarantined Donor Specimen. Our team will walk you through each one.
Cryomate does not accept insurance directly. Clients may submit receipts to their insurance provider for potential reimbursement depending on their plan. Fertility financing is available through Cryomate’s partners CapexMD, Future Family, and PatientFi for clients seeking monthly payment options.
Contact the lab where your donor will make his collections โ Indianapolis at lab@cryomate.com or 463.333.3530 ext. 2, or Nashville at TNdonor@cryomate.com or 463.293.1268. We’ll walk through your specific situation, answer questions about the process and documentation, and help you understand whether the initial semen analysis makes sense.