Sperm Freezing and Storage
Sperm freezing and storage is the procedure whereby sperm cells are frozen to preserve them for future use. Scientists freeze the sperm using a special media then keep sperm in liquid nitrogen at minus 196C, and it can be stored for many years while maintaining a reasonable quality.
Unfortunately, life is unpredictable. There are many situations that could interfere with your future fertility. These may include:
- Chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
- Certain types of pelvic or testicular surgery.
- Vasectomy.
- High-risk occupations or sports.
- Diabetes, which may cause erectile difficulty.
- Being away from home on day of assisted reproductive treatment.
- Anxiety on the day of treatment (back up storage)
Sperm storage
Scientifically, there is no limit to the length of time that sperm can be stored in a frozen state. However, the standard storage period for sperm is 10 years. This term can be exceeded only in certain circumstances. City Fertility Centre will explain whether you can do this, and for how long you may be able to store your sperm. The amount of time in storage does not influence the success rate.
If you decide to freeze and store your sperm with City Fertility Centre, you must update us about any address changes. You can provide written consent to discard your samples at anytime.