Sperm Freezing - A Good News for You!

Sperm freezing is an effective technique that involves collecting, analyzing, freezing, and storing men’s sperm, to use for future purposes when planning to have a child, for fertility treatments, or donated to other infertile couples. This process is collectively called cryopreservation or sperm banking. Mainly, it’s an excellent way for couples to preserve their sperm to increase the chances of conceiving a biological baby.

Men diagnosed with testicular or prostate cancer may have to undergo surgeries that remove one or both testicles. Any man diagnosed with testicular cancer is recommended to freeze their sperm if they had to undergo treatment for cancer. This is because cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, can cause sperm decline or cause infertility.

People approaching adulthood are advised to freeze their sperm to retain their chances of having children. Semen quality declines with age because of various reasons. Risks of autism and other such conditions also increase with older men. It’s also evident that semen volume decreases. Some men become infertile without no underlying reasons.

When men undergo certain medical surgeries, when they decide to change their mind about having children in the future, or when undergoing some surgeries that can impact the ability to ejaculate, sperm freezing is the only recommended solution.

Other men who might try sperm freezing can include people who begin testosterone replacement therapy, undergoing other fertility treatments, or people whose sperm counts are low for procedures such as ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection).

Sperms are collected through masturbation. Men are usually asked to abstain from intercourse for two days before sperm collection. Once the sample is collected, it is tested for quantity, quality, shape, and movement. If there’s no sperm found in the sample or if the man cannot ejaculate, surgical retrieval to remove sperm from the testicle is another solution.

After this, the samples are kept separate to be frozen. Lab technicians use specialized cryoprotectants (de-freeze) agents to protect sperms. The frozen sperm is stored in the lab, and when the right time comes, these sperms are thawed, washed, and tested before their intended usage for IVF or IUI procedures.

Sperm freezing is definitely a great option if you’re looking to preserve your probability of having a biological child. If you think it might be a good option for you and your family, talk to your fertility expert now!