The Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulations (SSOR) are laws made under the Federal Assisted Human Reproduction Act. The purpose of the SSOR is to help minimize the potential health risks to individuals in Canada who are involved in third-party reproduction.
The SSOR applies to donor sperm and eggs intended for use in assisted human reproduction (AHR) by a recipient who is not the spouse, common-law partner or sexual partner of the donor. The SSOR also applies to sperm and eggs that have been obtained from a donor that are intended for the donor's use with a gestational carrier.
As a registered primary establishment under the Regulations, AART screens and tests all known sperm donors, egg donors, and gestational carriers for suitability. If you are using an anonymous donor, the testing will have already been completed by a third-party company before the eggs or sperm are frozen.
The donor will be required to undergo screening for genetic and infectious diseases which are reviewed by the attending physician and/or the medical director. A physical exam by a physician is required. Tests for infectious diseases will be completed. The SSOR is very specific about timing of infectious disease testing, and has stringent requirements of the labs that are used to complete it.
The testing required by the Regulations is not currently available through Nova Scotia Health. Therefore, AART uses Dynacare, a third-party blood and urine testing lab, for all known donor testing that falls under the SSOR, which includes infectious disease testing, such as HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, CMV, etc. 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, they may need to be repeated. The AART team will advise you of the specific tests and the timing of the tests when your cycle is initiated.
These Regulations are enforced by Health Canada and AART is subject to compliance inspections. We are very proud to offer a full range of donor sperm, egg, and gestational carrier cycles. Complying with the SSOR allows us to do so.
Below is a link to Health Canada's Guidance Document about the SSOR: