CMV or Cytomegalovirus is a virus. Sperm banks began screening for CMV about 5 years ago due to the risks it carries for a fetus
"Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, has been found in all populations and infects between 50% and 85% of adults in the United States by 40 years of age. For most healthy persons who acquire CMV after birth there are few symptoms and no long-term health consequences. Some people with symptoms experience a mononucleosis-like syndrome with prolonged fever and a mild hepatitis. Once a person becomes infected, the virus remains alive, but usually dormant within that person's body for life. Therefore, for the vast majority of people, CMV infection is not a serious problem." (excerpted SRM article)
"Dormant" means that the virus is in the body but is not causing an active infection or symptoms.
How is it spread?
"Infectious CMV may be shed in body fluids of any previously infected person, and thus may be found in urine, saliva, blood, tears, semen, and breast milk. It can also be transmitted sexually. The shedding of virus may take place intermittently, without any detectable signs and without causing symptoms." (excerpted from SRM article)
CMV in Pregnancy
"CMV Infection in Pregnancy The incidence of primary (or first) CMV infection in pregnant women in the United States varies from 1% to 3%. When infected with CMV, most women have no symptoms and very few have a disease resembling mononucleosis. During a pregnancy when a woman who has never had CMV infection becomes infected with CMV, there is a 30-40 % chance of the fetus being infected. While most babies infected are normal at birth, 10-15 % may have CMV-related complications, such as hearing loss, visual impairment, or diminished mental and motor capabilities. On the other hand, infants and children who acquire CMV after birth have few, if any, symptoms or complications." (excerpted from SRM article)
Donor Sperm Selection
"Recipient" used below is referring to the person that is receiving the insemination/sperm.
"It is important to have the recipient's CMV status determined prior to choosing the sperm donor in order to decrease the chances of an infant being affected by a primary CMV infection in the mother. A female who has never been exposed to CMV does NOT have antibodies to CMV and should only use donor sperm from a donor who also has never contracted CMV.
If the female has previously been infected by CMV and has the antibodies, she already has had the primary "infection" (remember, you may have had no symptoms or indiscrete symptoms) from CMV. So any reactivation of the disease state has a very, very small chance of affecting the infant. She may, therefore, use donor sperm from a donor who has also previously been infected by the CMV virus." (excerpted from SRM article)
Interpreting the Lab Work
A person who has never contracted CMV is considered "CMV negative."
A person who has previously contracted CMV is considered "CMV positive."
To test for the CMV status, blood-work is collected to assess the presence of CMV antibodies and then the person is either CMV negative or positive based upon the lack or presence of antibodies.
If the person receiving the insemination/sperm is "CMV negative," then they can ONLY use a sperm donor that is "CMV negative."
If the person receiving the insemination/sperm is "CMV positive," then they can safely use a sperm donor that is either "CMV negative" or "CMV positive."
If you have any questions, please ask your doctor.
The above blog post has some paragraphs excerpted from an CMV article posted by Seattle Reproductive Medicine (SRM). The non-quoted lines are written by Teresa Evans ND,LM. SRM does an excellent job of clearly giving the details on this sometimes complicated topic. You can access the original SRM article at: http://www.seattlefertility.com/treatment/checkForCMV.asp
To Healthy Babies,
Dr. Teresa Evans ND,LM & Dr. Tamar Blau ND