Being a Known Carrier
Most of us are carriers of one or more recessive inherited conditions. If you already know your carrier status, you may be worried about your future child developing this condition. In that case, we recommend you our free service, Known Carrier Match. With this service, you can improve the chances of conceiving a healthy child by finding a donor who is proven not to be a carrier of the same conditions as yourself.
Find a genetically compatible donor in 48 hours
Finding a donor that is a good genetic match with you is easy and it takes only 48 hours.
All you need is a copy of your carrier status report and the aliases, donor names (e.g., donor "Jesse") of the two donors you want to be matched with.
You simply email us a request form (see below) and your carrier status report, and you will receive a result within 48 hours. All for free.
What is a match?
Based on your known carrier status, the laboratory will look into the genes of the donor to make sure he is not a carrier of the same conditions as you. In that way, you can improve the chances of conceiving a healthy child.
Known Carrier Match is a very reliable method, however, no test is 100% safe and a minor residual risk cannot be ruled out. Also, the test cannot account for spontaneous mutations that may arise in the egg, the sperm cell or the fetus.
How do we perform the match?
We respect donor privacy, and for that reason, we don't disclose the carrier status of donors. This is why we ask you to choose at least two donors. Please, be aware that only one donor will randomly be selected for the match by the genetic laboratory and the report will only state one of the donors as a match.
If a donor is not stated as a match, there may be different explanations, e.g.,
- he was not a match,
- he was not selected for the match or
- his genetic data was not sufficient for the match.
If you wish to have a screening test with one particular donor, we recommend you use our GeneXmatch service instead.
The process is simple
Follow these 4 steps to request a Known Carrier Match:
Downloading the request form
Download and fill out the Known Carrier Match request form below to request a Known Carrier Match.
What is a Carrier Status Report?
A carrier status report, also known as a genetic report or genetic carrier report, provides a detailed overview of the mutations identified in your DNA. These mutations are described and specified using genetic terminology, highlighting the specific genes that have mutated. If you have any doubt about whether you already have a carrier status report, please reach out to our Client Care team at info@europeanspermbank.com or call us at +45 3834 3600.
I know there is a lower risk of my future baby being born with inherited genetic disease. With that knowledge in mind, I can take the next steps on my fertility journey with a much lighter heart.
Frequently asked questions
You can use any carrier status report stating your carrier status of a recessive condition. The report can be in any language.
Choosing at least two donors is mandatory to make sure that the test is performed randomly. Not all donors want to know their carrier status. To protect the confidentiality of a donor's carrier status, a Known Carrier Match should always include at least 2 donors. Only one of these donors will be stated to be a match in the report that you receive. If you wish to have a screening test with one particular donor, we recommend you use our GeneXmatch service instead.
We take your data privacy very seriously. We use Rmail to share your carrier status report with Amplexa Genetics, the lab we cooperate with. Rmail is the most secure email service with end-to-end encryption.
Yes, absolutely. In this case, we recommend you choose three donors to increase the chances that one will be a match.
A Known Carrier Match is free.
Donors can become unavailable at any time, so it is necessary to reserve the sperm straws of the chosen donors to make sure that the straws from the matching donor do not become unavailable while waiting for the results. Please contact our Client Care service at +45 38 34 36 00 or info@europeanspermbank.com if you have any questions regarding the process.
No, you don't pay for anything until you have received your result. Once you have found the donor you match with, you will pay for the number of sperm straws that you would like to buy. Please contact our Client Care team at +45 38 34 36 00. They will guide you throughout the process.
Yes, however, we recommend that you first choose a clinic. The reason is that some clinics have special requirements for sperm concentration (MOT) they use for treatment. Donor sperm may not be available in all types of concentration (MOT). You thus take the risk of finding and choosing a donor whose sperm concentration level is not used for treatment by your future clinic.
You can only use the Known Carrier Match service if you already know your carrier status and have a carrier status report. We offer a genetic screening service called GeneXmatch for people who do not know their carrier status. GeneXmatch screens your genes for more than 400 diseases to minimise the risk of the future child inheriting a serious genetic condition. You can learn more about it here.
Known Carrier Match is a highly reliable method of finding a compatible donor. No test or matching method can 100% rule out a carrier status. Also, Known Carrier Match cannot account for spontaneous mutations that may arise in the egg, the sperm cell or the foetus. However, this remaining risk is very small.
If you don’t have a carrier status report and wish to have one; we recommend you to visit Amplexa Genetics website here.