[hellokitty]

Hello All,

I am in the process of picking our donor sperm. I have 2 questions:
1) If I am Rh+ should the donor be Rh+ or Rh-?
2) Is it okay for the donor to be CMV+? I have read that most adults are CMV+ because of exposure to chicken pox when they were younger and therefore they have the it but it's not reactive?
Thanks for everyone's HELP!

[infertilitynovice]

I can't remember if the RH factor matters in terms of you and the donor, but your doctor can answer that question. Clearly, it matters when we're talking about you and the baby, but that will come later I believe our donor was CMV+ but I had chickpox too so it doesn't matter. If you feel comfortable with your bank you could call and talk to them about your questions too.

Good luck with your process and I hope you're able to come to a decision soon and "get the show on the road"...Happy shopping!

[hellokitty]

Hi There!

Thank you for your help I see you hit the jackpot on the first round of IUI. That is great-congratulations! Did you use clomid and how many mg? My dr. starts me on 50 mg and I ovulate on my own. I hope the first one works because I really don't want to keep going through this again and again!

[kirstyloo]

Hello Kitty! It is fun to write that!

Rh is important if the mother carrying the child is Rh-. Rh- mothers who carry Rh+ infants require a Rhogam injection during pregnancy and after the birth of the child. Because you are Rh+, this probably isn’t a major issue for you.

CMV might be an issue. CMV isn’t chicken pox. It stands for cytomegovirus. According to the US Center for Disease Control, approximately half of pregnant women have never been infected with CMV and are susceptible to infection. Approximately 1-4% of uninfected mothers have their first infection while pregnant. While most women have no symptoms, a percentage does feel ill kind sort of like mononucleosis. A third of newly infected women pass the virus on to their unborn child. If this happens, it can cause a birth defect in the child. According to the CDC, “Each year in the United States, about 1 in 750 children are born with or develop disabilities as the result of the CMV infection.” These problems could include hearing loss, vision loss, and various degrees of mental retardation. “Health problems occur most often among babies born to women who are having their first CMV infection during pregnancy.”

On that note, you might want to find out your CMV status before you decide to select a CMV positive (+) donor. They provide CMV information to help protect CMV negative (-) woman and decrease the risk of women having their first CMV infection while pregnant.

If you'd like to read more, here is a link to the CDC’s website on pregnancy and CMV.

Best of luck to you!

[cali_girl_in_sweden]

Hi! I don't know much about the RH thing, but I asked our nurse about the CMV thing (it freaked us out) and she said it wasn't a big deal. The donor we wanted ended up being CMV- so we were really happy!

Good luck

[infertilitynovice]

Thank you for your congratulations, we were very surprised that it worked the first time. Even our OB told us it wouldn't...not that it "might not"...just flat out, "this won't work so don't get your hopes up"...well we showed her, huh?!

Since all my CD21 bloodwork came back within normal limits and my HSG was clear we didn't see a need for any meds. Our cycle was unmedicated.

As far as the CMV thing goes...I realize it isn't chicken pox, but from the little bit of research I did (it freaked me out at first too), the CMV virus is very similar in the way that shingles, herpes (I'm not talking strictly genital, there are lots of different herpes viruses), and chicken pox are all related...they aren't the same thing, as they certainly don't affect the body the same way, they are just "virus relatives" I guess. My doctor, like another poster said, told us that the chance of a woman being infected with CMV by donor sperm is nearly none existant and she didn't even know why they bothered reporting the positive/negative status. But, I'm sure that different doctors would report different preferences, so just check with your office to see where they stand.

[Jonesnicky]

Hi:
Just to answer your question Rh- question, women who are Rh- , like I am, should try to use use Rh- donors, but it is not required. If you I use a Rh+ donor and I get pregnant then I have to get a Rhogam shot during and after pregnancy.

As far as CMV status, it differs from re to re. My re dismissed it, while others have said their doctor refuses to use a CMV+ donor. I am CMV+ so it is fine for me.

Good Luck.

CJ