Sperm Freezing

Sperm can be cryopreserved (frozen) and stored for later use. There are several situations in which a man may wish to freeze his sperm. Prior to chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer, some men may elect to store their sperm as a back-up in the event their cancer treatment results in damage to the sperm producing part of their testicles. Sperm may also be frozen prior to a man undergoing a vasectomy. Men who are going to be absent for prolonged periods of time, such as extended military duty, may freeze their sperm for use by their wife during their absence. If a man anticipates difficulty in producing a sperm sample for an IVF cycle, he may elect to freeze a sample for use in the event he is unable to produce one on the day of the egg retrieval.

We will usually request that the man produce multiple sperm samples over the course of several weeks for cryopreservation. The sperm samples will be frozen and stored in our andrology lab until they are needed. It is not known how long sperm can be frozen and still be viable when thawed. We do not have a strict time limit on the duration we will keep sperm frozen. There is, however, a yearly fee for storage of the sperm.