CMV (cytomegalovirus) is a common yet often misunderstood virus that can directly affect your fertility timeline, your embryo transfer plans, and the safety of pregnancy.
Whether you’re actively undergoing IVF, considering donor options or exploring surrogacy as a next step, understanding the role of CMV is essential.
If you’re exploring other family-building options due to CMV-related IVF delays, our team at American Surrogacy is here to help. Fill out our quick form to learn how surrogacy could fit your unique journey.
This guide breaks down how CMV intersects with IVF, what your test results mean, how it may impact your plans—and how American Surrogacy can help you move forward when delays or risks arise.
What is CMV and Why Is It Risky During Pregnancy?
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that affects most adults by middle age. While generally harmless in healthy individuals, CMV can cause serious complications during pregnancy, especially when infection occurs in the first trimester.
Why CMV matters:
- Congenital CMV Risk: If transmitted to the baby, CMV can result in lifelong health issues.
- Silent Symptoms: Many adults don’t realize they’ve had CMV because it often causes no symptoms.
- Pregnancy Timing: CMV infections during conception or embryo transfer are the most concerning.
Understanding CMV’s risks is critical to making informed decisions about fertility treatments.
Why Does CMV Status Matter for IVF or Embryo Creation?
CMV is a common virus that affects up to 85% of adults by age 40. While it rarely causes symptoms in healthy individuals, CMV status becomes critically important during IVF and pregnancy because of potential risks to developing embryos and babies.
Your CMV status affects several aspects of your IVF journey:
- Embryo Transfer Timing: Active CMV infections may delay embryo transfers to prevent transmission risks during early pregnancy.
- Donor Selection: When using donor eggs or sperm, CMV status compatibility becomes a key matching criterion.
- Pregnancy Safety:CMV transmission during pregnancy can cause serious complications for developing babies.
- Medical Clearance: Fertility clinics have specific protocols for managing patients with different CMV statuses.
Understanding these factors helps explain why CMV and IVF protocols exist and how they protect both you and your future baby.
When Do Fertility Clinics Test for CMV?
Most fertility workups include CMV screening blood test early in the process. Testing may also be required when using donor eggs, donor sperm or working with a gestational carrier.
Timely testing allows clinics to adapt your IVF or embryo transfer plan to maximize safety.
What If I’m CMV Positive? Understanding CMV Testing Results
Fertility clinics test for CMV IgG and IgM antibodies:
- CMV IgG Positive: This indicates past exposure to CMV and means you have developed immunity. Being IgG positive is generally favorable for IVF, as you’re unlikely to contract a new CMV infection during pregnancy.
- CMV IgM Positive: This suggests a recent or active CMV infection. IgM positive results typically require waiting periods before proceeding with embryo transfers to ensure the infection has resolved and reduce transmission risks.
- CMV Negative: Having no previous CMV exposure means you’re susceptible to new infections, requiring careful donor selection and monitoring during pregnancy.
Your fertility clinic will interpret these results alongside other factors to determine the safest approach for your specific situation.
How Long Should You Wait After a CMV Infection to Try IVF?
If you test CMV IgM positive, most clinics recommend waiting 6-12 months before embryo transfer to ensure the infection has cleared.
What happens during the wait:
- Repeat antibody testing to confirm immunity
- Clearance from your reproductive endocrinologist
- Proceeding with egg retrieval and embryo freezing if desired
This approach minimizes the risk of CMV transmission to the baby.
If a long CMV clearance timeline feels discouraging, talk to us about how surrogacy can help you keep your family-building momentum.
Can I Move Forward with IVF with an Active CMV Infection?
Yes—but with limitations. While you may proceed with egg retrieval and embryo creation, most clinics advise waiting 3–6 months post-infection before transferring embryos.
This waiting period serves several important purposes:
- Allows your immune system to fully clear the active infection
- Reduces risk of CMV transmission during early pregnancy
- Ensures optimal conditions for embryo implantation
- Minimizes potential pregnancy complications
While waiting can feel frustrating, this approach significantly improves your chances of a healthy pregnancy outcome.
CMV and Pregnancy Risks
CMV and pregnancy risks are particularly concerning when infection occurs during conception or early pregnancy. Congenital CMV transmission can lead to:
- Hearing loss in newborns
- Developmental delays
- Vision problems
- Microcephaly (smaller than normal head size)
- Intellectual disabilities
These risks explain why fertility clinics take CMV status seriously when planning IVF treatments and why timing matters so much for safe embryo transfers.
Can Surrogacy Help If You’ve Had a Recent CMV Infection?
If you’ve recently had a CMV infection that delays your IVF timeline, surrogacy may offer a faster and medically safer path to parenthood.
Rather than waiting months for medical clearance for personal pregnancy, you can move forward with embryo creation and transfer to a healthy surrogate.
Advantages of Surrogacy After Recent CMV Infection:
- Faster Timeline: Surrogacy eliminates personal waiting periods required after CMV infection, allowing you to proceed with your family-building goals sooner.
- Reduced Risk: Your surrogate’s CMV immunity status is screened, ensuring optimal safety for embryo transfer and pregnancy.
- Peace of Mind: Knowing your surrogate is medically cleared and monitored provides emotional relief during your fertility journey.
CMV and Sperm Donors: Choosing the Right Match
When using donor sperm, CMV status compatibility becomes a crucial selection criterion. Sperm banks routinely test donors and provide detailed CMV status information to help you make informed choices.
CMV Positive Sperm Donors:
- Safe for recipients who are CMV IgG positive
- Typically more abundant in donor banks
CMV Negative Sperm Donors:
- Preferred for CMV negative recipients
- Lower risk but potentially fewer match options
Need help navigating donor options? American Surrogacy can coordinate with your clinic to simplify the process. Contact us today.
When to Select a CMV Positive Sperm Donor
People generally choose a CMV positive sperm donor when:
- You are CMV IgG positive (immune from past exposure)
- Your partner is CMV positive
- Your fertility clinic recommends CMV positive matching
- You want access to a broader donor pool (more options available)
CMV positive donors are often in higher supply, potentially offering more choices in physical characteristics, education, and other desired traits.
When to Select a CMV Negative Sperm Donor
Choose a CMV negative sperm donor when:
- You are CMV negative (no previous exposure)
- Your fertility clinic specifically recommends avoiding CMV exposure
- You want to minimize any infection risk during pregnancy
- Your surrogate (if using one) is CMV negative
CMV negative donors may be in shorter supply, potentially limiting selection options but providing the safest match for CMV negative recipients.
How American Surrogacy Supports Families Navigating CMV and IVF for Embryo Creation
Dealing with CMV complications during IVF can feel overwhelming, especially when medical hurdles delay your path to parenthood.
American Surrogacy can act as your compassionate guide through these complex fertility challenges, and surrogacy can be a flexible solution when CMV status complicates personal pregnancy attempts.
Our support includes:
- Clinic Coordination: We liaise with your fertility clinic to understand your medical clearance status.
- Surrogate Matching: We can match you with a surrogate in an average of 1-4 months.
- Surrogate Screening: Our surrogates have been thoroughly pre-screened, minimizing the chance of complications, saving you time and money.
We’re not just a service—we’re your partner in building the family you’ve dreamed of.
When CMV Makes Surrogacy the Preferred Path
Surrogacy becomes particularly valuable when:
- Recent CMV infection delays your personal pregnancy timeline by 6+ months
- Previous CMV-related pregnancy complications make future pregnancies inadvisable
- You want the fastest path to parenthood despite CMV complications
Remember, choosing surrogacy doesn’t mean giving up on your dreams—it means finding the safest, most efficient route to holding your baby.
Ready to Move Forward? Let American Surrogacy Help You Navigate CMV and IVF Challenges
If you’re facing delays due to CMV, American Surrogacy can help you explore surrogacy as a faster, safer alternative.
Fill out our simple form to discuss how surrogacy might fit your unique situation and timeline.
We’re here to support your next step toward parenthood.