In December 2021, Health Canada informed AART and all Canadian fertility clinics of a change to the requirements for testing donors for Hepatitis C (HCV). This requirement is now part of multiple tests that are required under the Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulations. As a result, known donors (egg and sperm) as well as gestational carrier cycles that fall under the Health Canada Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulations now require NAT testing for HCV. NAT stands for Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing and is a highly sensitive way to test for HCV. This additional level of testing is similar to the requirements for organ donation. Additionally, there are regulatory requirements for donor testing that must be met such as tracking blood test expiry dates, lot numbers, etc.
As a result, AART will be using Dynacare, a third party blood and urine testing lab, for all testing that falls under the Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulations, which includes infectious disease testing, such as HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, CMV, etc. Dynacare is completing testing in compliance with the Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulations for multiple Canadian fertility clinics. The fee for testing is $350 per person. The fee includes the blood draw at AART, shipping, and testing by Dynacare. If any of the tests are positive, there will be additional fees for confirmatory testing. There may be multiple tests required for multiple patients depending on the cycle type, and/or if the testing does not fall in the timeframe required by the Regulations.
The AART team will advise you of the specific tests and timing of the tests when your cycle is initiated. We are very proud to offer a full range of donor sperm, egg, and gestational carrier cycles. Implementing this additional testing will allow us to continue to do so.
Thank you for your understanding.