# CMV



## LB24 (Jul 2, 2013)

Hi

I wonder if anyone could give me some up to date advice and guidance on using a CMV positive donor when you are negative. 
My treatment is being funding but this is only available until July & my clinic has no suitable CMV negative donors available. As my treatment is funded I am unable to source my own donor through a bank unless I pay for the full treatment. Therefore this decision is whether or not I can go ahead. I am very concerned about potential risks. 

Be grateful for any advice.


----------



## suitcase of dreams (Oct 7, 2007)

Hi there,


I am CMV neg and when I had tx in the UK the clinic I insisted I use a neg donor. I then went on to have tx abroad and they never even mentioned CMV, let alone tested for it! So clearly in the fertility industry itself there are differing views on this...which makes it difficult for those having tx to know what is the best course of action


As I understand it, the risks are small, but there is a risk and as such I think you need to make up your own mind how comfortable you are with it. Each person will have a different attitude to risk and no one unfortunately will be able to give you a definitive answer.
Ask the clinic (if you have not already) to explain all the potential risks and then you can make an informed decision based on that


Wishing you the best of luck,
x


----------



## pookiepoo (Feb 25, 2014)

Hi, 
I have no experience with donor sperm, but I do have CMV experience. I caught it at 5 wks gestation after my first successful round of ivf with twins. At 12 wk scan, one twin had died and the other had severe skull damage and I had to terminate the pregnancy. The post termination tests showed cmv in fetus DNA, meaning it had massed thru the placenta. I still can't tell you if I caught cmv by chance or if my DH might have been postive and I negative. As you probably know, cmv status is not tested in couples.  I am immune to cmv now (I.e postive). After catching CMV, your immune builds up against the virus after 6-12 months.

If I were you, I would not risk catching CMV if negative.

Pany


----------



## A Burning Desire (Apr 15, 2014)

Hello, not sure if you've already made your decision, but I asked the ESB about CMV and got the following reply. Might give you some things to ask your clinic about / research a bit more? My test came back +ve in the end so I didn't need to decide.

"Only a few clinics in the UK are concerned about CMV status, no clinics in Denmark/Europe are concerned with CMV status.

While we would never say the risk is zero, we believe that the risk is extremely low. Semen processing methods that remove white blood cells are thought to reduce that risk. In our opinion, any risk can be reduced by the use of IUI vials which are prepared by a density gradient method which removes nearly all white blood cells and seminal plasma. Based upon our experience and published literature, we do not believe that semen from a healthy donor who is antibody positive due to an old CMV infection poses any meaningful risk of transmitting CMV. This is, however, a medical issue that you should discuss with your physician.

Heterosexual couples never get tested for CMV not in the EU not in the UK.
CMV is airborne and you can get CMV as well while you are pregnant. We have never heard of cases where the child is ill due to the donor is CMV IgG positive and the mother is CMV neg.

More than 50% of the population has had CMV when the turn 25. Far the most of our donors are CMV positive."


----------



## CrazyHorse (May 8, 2014)

Yes, I did look into this a bit awhile back because of some ladies' questions on the forums, and what A Burning Desire says is correct. Basically, it's the seminal fluid around the sperm that can be infectious, not the sperm themselves. Sperm used in IUI or IVF are washed to remove all the seminal fluid, so what's left are the sperm (in whatever medium they use to freeze them). 

Of course, errors in lab procedure are possible, but between the washing and freezing I have to think the infection risks of IUI with CMV+ donor sperm are very, very small. And if you're using the donor sperm for IVF, I have to think the risk is basically zero, as you're not even putting the sperm themselves into your body, only the embryo that the sperm has fertilised.

Pany's right about the importance of avoiding CMV in pregnancy if you are negative. But you are vastly more likely to catch the infection "in the wild" than through IVF treatment.


----------

