Sperm Cryopreservation
Freezing of human sperm has been around for a very long time. In fact the concept for freezing human sperm can be dated back to at least 1776. The first successful human pregnancy using frozen sperm occurred in 1953. A commercially available sperm freezing began in 1957. These initial successes with cryopreserving and storing sperm have lead to its common acceptance for use in future attempts at conception using IUI or A.R.T. Semen cryopreservation is performed for men under several different scenarios. In some situations the male partner may not be available at the critical time due to travel or occupational demands and thus sperm cryopreservation enables the readily available use of his sperm. For some men obtaining their sperm requires a surgical extraction procedure (men with reproductive tract obstructions or who do not have sperm present in their ejaculates, azoospermic) and cryopreservation allows the procedure to be performed at a convenient time and often eliminates the need for additional invasive procedures. In other situations electroejaculation (spinal cord injury) is needed in order to obtain a sperm specimen and again sperm cryopreservation allows for convenient timing and storage as well as eliminating the need for additional procedures. In addition, sperm cryopreservation is an option for men who may have difficulty producing an “on-demand” semen sample on the day of an IUI or A.R.T. procedure. These men can produce a semen sample in a more relaxed situation and then have it frozen for use at the time of the IUI or A.R.T. procedure. Finally, for men who are about to undergo medical treatments such as cancer therapy, prostate or testicular surgery either of which may adversely affect their sperm producing ability, cryopreservation prior to treatment allows for storage of pre-treatment sperm which in some cases may be the last opportunity for them to produce a quality semen specimen.
To date cryopreserved sperm appear to be able to survive in long-term storage quite well. Pregnancies have been reported from sperm samples that have been frozen, stored and thawed 20 years later!
IVF Fertility Clinic San Diego
The California Center for Reproductive Medicine San Diego.
CACRM San Diego fertility clinic provides treatments, therapy and
services relating to fertility and infertility.
Call to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lori Arnold at
619-397-2950.
