Fairfax Cryobank Privacy Policy

Our sperm bank’s privacy policy

Fairfax Cryobank is committed to protecting the identities of our clients and donors. We have and will continue to honor the contracts we have agreed to with our donors. If they are Non-ID donors, we will keep their identity private, unless they later choose to request that we release their information upon request by an offspring aged 18 or older. Our ID donors have agreed to a limited release of information, which will not occur until a child registered with us as a donor’s offspring reaches the age of 18.

Non-ID Donors

Note: beginning in 2020, Fairfax Cryobank will only accept donors willing to be ID donors into our program.

Non-ID donors will always remain Non-ID. They will never become ID donors (see below).

Non-ID donors are donors who chose at the time of donation not to permit release of identifying information to their offspring. In the past, the identity of Non-ID donors always remained private, but in 2019 Fairfax Cryobank began permitting Non-ID donors to request that we release limited identifying information upon request by offspring aged 18 or older (see below), in accordance with California law. If a Non-ID Donor decides to allow for release of his identifying information upon offspring request, we will permit that change and update the donor’s summary profile accordingly.

Fairfax Cryobank’s Privacy Policy protects the confidentiality of all parties involved. All donor and recipient records will be maintained indefinitely, and we will not compromise the privacy between a Non-ID Donor and the recipient. In certain medically necessary circumstances, we will, upon physician request, attempt to obtain specific additional donor medical or genetic information and testing. Donor identity in these circumstances will remain private. We do not facilitate contact between Non-ID donors and their offspring.

Identity (ID) Donors

Certain donors have consented to be ID donors. These donors agree to a limited release of identifying information when registered offspring from their donated sperm reach 18 years of age. Children must be registered with Fairfax Cryobank by their parents as offspring of an ID donor to be eligible to receive this information when they reach the age of 18. Parents can also opt not to register at birth and wait to see what their family situation dictates. ID donors can therefore be used as a Non-ID donor if the parent does not register their child for the ID program. Regardless of whether a parent intends to register their child for the ID program, our Terms of Use contains information about this program must be signed and returned before units from ID donors will be released to clients.

ID donors are not permitted to change to Non-ID donors once they are in our donor program. Beginning in 2020, all new Fairfax Cryobank donors will be ID Donors.

Contact with Donors

We recognize the importance of our relationships with our donors and Fairfax Cryobank policy is to return all calls and emails from donors. If a donor is attempting contact and not receiving a call back or email they should speak to Client Services, who will direct them to the correct person.

We encourage all past donors to contact us and update their medical and personal information. This will also allow us to confirm their identification, verify that their contact information is up to date, and clarify any medical issues via our Medical Director, a board-certified Clinical Geneticist. Donor updates will then be shared with clients as appropriate.

Donor Information: Medical and Personal Profiles

The plethora of information that is now available on all donors was not available in the past. Currently, there are vast amounts of non-identifying information on all donors including Identity (ID) donors. In fact, Non-ID and ID donors have all of the same medical and personal information available, the only difference is that when an ID donor is used there is the option for the offspring to contact the donor when they reach the age of 18.

Annual Updates from Donors

We regularly reach out to past donors for confidential updates on their medical and personal information. Donors who wish to update their information should contact us and we will direct them to our update portal. We publish relevant updated information on the donor’s summary profile.

Check Donor Medical Status

We believe that the best way for clients to gather medical and personal information about their donors is at the source, from the Cryobank itself. Each donor web page provides his status. If Restricted or Investigation is listed, details are provided in his Summary Profile Update Section or can be obtained by contacting Client Services. This also allows us to give immediate and accurate notification to clients if any medical issue does arise.

Fairfax Cryobank Family Forums

Fairfax Family Forums have a public forum and individual private donor forums.  These wonderful forums are a popular way for clients to connect and share their experiences. 

Donor Numbers

As of January 1, 2012, new donors are given the option of knowing their donor numbers.

Request to Release Identifying Information

We understand and respect the desire of many individuals, couples, and donor-conceived (DC) offspring to know more about their donors. We also respect that many individuals, couples, and offspring do not want identifying information about their donors. To uphold the agreements we have made with all of the parties involved, we will not release identifying information about our donors to anyone other than the registered offspring of ID donors aged 18 and up.

We believe we have a responsibility to continue to gather non-identifying medical and personal information from our donors and to share that information with our clients. We are committed to sharing that information in a way that does not identify our donors.

If you have additional questions about privacy issues, please contact Client Services.

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