Experiences shipping fresh sperm?

[serepartera]

Hi everyone!
We have a chance to use fresh sperm (have been using frozen) and are doing some research. Anybody have experience with shipping fresh sperm. (bio tranz or other method). What did you use? How did you ship it? Was it complicated for the donor? Did you get pregnant? Would you do it again? What did it cost?

Thank you thank you thank you!

[megincl]

Yes!

We used bio tranz (the express/cheaper kit). We did it twice and got pregnant the second time. BUT, we did take it to our midwife to be washed and get an IUI. But that's after we'd been trying for over a year and a half. So that definitely informed our strategy.

It was very easy for our donor, and it comes with shipping instructions. Basically, the donor ships it out with the last pick up (usually 6pm) for overnight express shipping. I think it gets delivered to you by noon the next day. So your donor does need FedEx access.....

Finally, you can't ship on Sunday, so that can play into it.

Oh, our midwife also checked the sample last time (when we got pregnant) and said the sperm count was terrific, high quality, etc. So the shipping process didn't hurt the sample.

Good luck!
megin

[Defenestrator]

I had a bad experience several times with Overnight Male (which is made by the University of Illinois at Chicago and offered by a few sperm banks). The containers leaked, and the packages arrived warm more than once. My client also did not get pregnant after about 6 months of trying.

[serepartera]

Originally Posted by megincl

Yes!

We used bio tranz (the express/cheaper kit). We did it twice and got pregnant the second time. BUT, we did take it to our midwife to be washed and get an IUI. But that's after we'd been trying for over a year and a half. So that definitely informed our strategy.

Oh, our midwife also checked the sample last time (when we got pregnant) and said the sperm count was terrific, high quality, etc. So the shipping process didn't hurt the sample.

Good luck!
megin

Thanks!
Does it need to be washed before insem or was that just because you wanted to do an iui?
And, I'm glad you have experience with the express/cheaper shipper - any idea what it DOESN'T have? I've seen the web site, but I can't figure out what's so important about all that other stuff that makes it so much more expensive. ??
I wonder if the sperm lives as long as "regular" fresh once its inside? Cause that would be awesome! We've planned on using frozen sperm for so long (and have for the last 2 cycles and for two other cycles that ended in m/c, our son was adopted) so this fresh option has my head swimming and I feel a little like I'm back at ttc square one.


At least we know to avoid Overnight Male (which DP said she would have anyway because of the name...).

[megincl]

I think it may include insem supplies (the more expensive kit), although I'm not sure. I can tell you that the packaging (ice packs inside soft foam inside styrofoam) kept everything nice and cold. The ice packs were pretty much frozen solid upon arrival from ACROSS the country!

You don't have to wash the sperm. We only did because it was an IUI.

I called bio tranz to ask about sperm life and they just don't have enough data to know. So, I'm really no help on that end. I'd definitely err on the side of "as close to O as possible" given that you can't know.

good luck!
megin

[Twylightdove]

I'm using the kit sold by Rainbow Flag Health Care. It is cheaper than biotranz but uses the same buffer. Also, they let us buy extra buffer so we could reuse the shippers. The buffer is safe for vaginal inseminations so we don't need to have it spun and do IUIs unless we want to. This is only our second insem (at the end of the week) with shipped (we've done several frozen and several local fresh before).

Like with frozen, we are at the mercy of our shipper. During our first cycle with fresh shipping FedEx lost our second package. It arrived a day late because it got lost at a transfer station in Indiana. The buffer is really a 24-30hr thing and the cooler pack was room temp. We thought there was no way anything could still be alive but we tossed it under the microscope anyway. Lo and behold there were still some swimming! It really secured my belief in the product. FedEx still paid us the insurance on the package since it was time sensitive and we told them late=ruined.

[simcon]

*oops, double post!

[simcon]

We used the ones from NW Cryobank, and also ordered extra buffer so that we could reuse the shippers. We did find that they sent enough buffer for two samples/shipments in any case, so after the first month, where we did two inseminations, our donor also split one vial so they could save the other for two insems the next month.

We didn't get pregnant using this method (we probably did it 3-4x), and I always really wanted to, especially the time we had a friend carry it in her luggage since her travel plans worked out with my cycle, but I'd consider doing it again. (We finally got pregnant after 18 mos or so with a combination of Clomid + trigger shot + travel to donor--and since we felt that this plan optimized all the variables as much as we could afford to do, we'd probably do that one again if we were to try again)

[serepartera]

[QUOTE=Twylightdove;12474332]

We thought there was no way anything could still be alive but we tossed it under the microscope anyway. Lo and behold there were still some swimming! It really secured my belief in the product. QUOTE]


Well, that makes me feel better. I'll have a look at rainbow flag's website. Will they sell me the shipper if we're not clients?

Now our hurdle is the donor's girlfriend, who we dont know. humm.. fingers crossed.
Thanks for all the answers! I'd love to hear more if anyone has been sucessfull.

[Twylightdove]

I'm not a client at Rainbow Flag and never dealt with them until I bought the shipper kits. I was a client at NW Cryo for there frozen sperm and we talked with them about their shipper kits. They must have changed policy since Simcon was using them because they refused to sell us extra buffer. If you call Rainbow Flag keep in mind that the shipper kits is a side business of the guy who runs the sperm bank it so you leave a message and he will call you back. He takes his work seriously. He will ask you intake questions so that he can verify that you have tested your donor for STDs and are properly tracking fertility to give you the best chance of conception.

We found the guy very nice and easy to work with. He called us on the weekend to set up our last order. We ended up having a discussion on the unique position of being Jewish and against circumcision. (Rainbow Flag is officially against circumcision. If you buy sperm from them you have to sign a form agreeing not to have a circumcision if you produce a male child. There are no such limits just for buying their shipper kits though.)

That girlfriend thing must be a tough part. Both my KDs are gay. My first one was single and the second was actually suggested to us by one of his lovers so we've never had to deal with that extra detail.

Good luck on the arrangements!!

[nolonger]

i used bio tranz once and did not become pregnant. i was satified with the product and it was easy enough for kd, but it cost about the same as his travelexpenses so I think I decided that he should get some fun out of it, since he wouldn't accept a dime from me, or else i decided that because of my age it was worth tbhe troubl;e for uber fresh.

but yes, i would use it again...if i was partnered and/or had more savings and time and this little m9iracle wasn't grabbing at my kewyboard and making it so hard to post.

good luck and baby dustr to you!

[mizsatisfied]

I am so happy that some of you have seen sperm swimming with shipped fresh sperm! We've been going on faith. My partner and I were using frozen but that really tapped out our $$ resources fast. This year we asked a friend who agreed to donate and now we have been using the Rainbow Flag kits. Luckily my DP works for Fedex so we get 75% off shipping both to our KD and from KD to us. So for us it's only like $80 each time we try, which is soooo much cheaper than frozen. So far have tried 4 cycles this way. Just found out that DP has low progesterone so she is taking prometrium and we are waiting to take the test on Election Day!! (oh the stress and excitement!!) We also tried 2x this cycle so we'll see. Keeping fingers crossed.

[serepartera]

Originally Posted by mizsatisfied

I am so happy that some of you have seen sperm swimming with shipped fresh sperm! We've been going on faith. My partner and I were using frozen but that really tapped out our $$ resources fast. This year we asked a friend who agreed to donate and now we have been using the Rainbow Flag kits. Luckily my DP works for Fedex so we get 75% off shipping both to our KD and from KD to us. So for us it's only like $80 each time we try, which is soooo much cheaper than frozen. So far have tried 4 cycles this way. Just found out that DP has low progesterone so she is taking prometrium and we are waiting to take the test on Election Day!! (oh the stress and excitement!!) We also tried 2x this cycle so we'll see. Keeping fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed for your test! (...also wishing WE worked for fed ex. LOL)
Thanks everyone for the great answers.