Sperm freezing: indications, process and results

Semen freezing is a widely used technique that preserves fertility in man. Thanks to sperm cryopreservation, sperm that are frozen and stored in sperm banks can be used by assisted reproduction techniques in the future. In addition, they will not affect their quality nor will they have a time limit of conservation.

Next you have an index with all the points that we are going to treat in this article.

Index

Sperm freezing: indications, process and results

• 1. Indications
• 1.1. Cancer patients
• 1.2. Patients who are going to have a vasectomy
• 1.3. Patients with poor sperm quality
• 1.4. Patients with difficulties in obtaining the sample
• 1.5. Sperm donors
• 1.6. Transsexuals
• 2. Process of freezing sperm
• 2.1. Sperm freezing
• 2.2. Spermatic Vitrification
• 3. Results obtained with frozen semen
• 4. Prices
• 5. Questions from users
• 5.1. Is it possible to use semen from an international sperm bank?
• 5.2. How long can frozen sperm be kept?
• 5.3. Is there an age limit for freezing sperm?
• 5.4. Does this treatment go through Social Security?

Indications

The freezing of sperm helps many patients who without this technique could not be parents. It is performed in the following cases:

Cancer patients

Sperm freezing allows preservation of fertility in patients who are likely to lose fertility due to chemotherapy or radiation treatments. In these patients it is necessary that the samples are frozen before starting the treatment, since once initiated, the seminal quality may be altered and present dangers to the offspring.

Once the disease is overcome, fertility is sometimes recovered. However, if the reproductive capacity of the patient has been affected, these frozen samples may be used in assisted reproduction techniques to become parents.

More information on fertility preservation in cancer patients appears in the links below: How can fertility be preserved? and oncological patients and fertility.

Patients who are going to have a vasectomy

Some patients who undergo vasectomy decide to freeze some samples as a precaution, if in the future they wish to be parents, either with the same partner or another. In this way, future treatments of assisted reproduction would be facilitated to obtain offspring with own sperm.

Patients with poor sperm quality

In patients with very low sperm quality, it is advisable to freeze samples prior to initiation of assisted reproduction therapy. The purpose is to ensure that on the day of follicular puncture there will be spermatozoa available to fertilize the eggs obtained.

Patients with difficulties in obtaining the sample

Some men have limitations in obtaining the sample on the day of artificial insemination (AI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF). Sperm cryopreservation allows these treatments to be handled more comfortably. For example, it would be useful in those patients with difficulties to ejaculate due to psychological blockage or those who can not attend the clinic because their place of residence is far away (especially in ovodonation cases).

In addition, it also allows the optimization of the use of valuable samples, such as those obtained by testicular biopsy or aspiration of the epididymis, the washes of semen from seropositive men or the oncological patients discussed above. In this way, the samples can be dosed and used little by little, as required.

The following video shows a fragment of an interview with Dr. Antonio Alcaide, which presents cases in which the freezing of semen is used:

Sperm donors

In the case of semen donors, it is imperative that the samples be frozen, since Spanish legislation requires that a series of tests be carried out before being used to ensure that they do not transmit any disease. Sperm cryopreservation allows time to confirm the absence of HIV infection in the donated samples.

Transsexuals

Transgender women who undergo sex transitional surgery may cryopreserve their sperm for future use through surrogate gestation or through assisted reproductive treatments to their partners, if they are lesbians.

Process of freezing sperm

Semen freezing is a routine and simple technique that can be performed in any assisted reproduction laboratory.

To ensure that the safety of the other samples of the andrology laboratory is not compromised, it is necessary that prior to freezing the semen the patient provides updated serologies.

In addition, semen quality should also be assessed using a seminogram (concentration, mobility, morphology and vitality) prior to the technique, as this will be the main factor determining the viability of the sample once it is thawed.

The only prerequisite for performing this technique is that mobile sperm are found in the ejaculate.

Sperm freezing

Generally, sperm cryopreservation is carried out by a slow freezing process. Cryoprotectants are added to the sample (among them some have egg yolk components) to prevent cellular damage to the sperm. These cryoprotectants dehydrate the cells to avoid that the water, when freezing, ruptures the membranes, something that would cause the cell death.

Once the cryoprotectants are added, the sample is normally distributed in cryotubes or straws, the temperature is gradually lowered and finally stored in liquid nitrogen at -196 ° C. It is important to note that it is during the freezing and thawing processes that the spermatozoa can be damaged. During storage, the seminal quality does not vary.

Sperm freezing process

In the case of valuable samples (from cancer patients, testicular biopsies, HIV lavages ...), freezing can be performed in small beads to optimize the use of these, as it is possible to thaw less sample at a time.

In the following video another fragment of interview with Dr. Antonio Alcaide appears. In this one, it describes in what consists the technique of the freezing of semen:

Spermatic Vitrification

In recent years, a new technique of sperm cryopreservation is being developed: vitrification of spermatozoa. It is an ultra-fast freezing method that allows to carry out the process in less time.

The use of this method is widely used for cryopreservation of ova and embryos. This is because they are more sensitive than the spermatozoa to freezing processes because they have more water inside them. However, sperm are not so problematic when it comes to being frozen and there is no need to resort to sperm vitrification to get good results.

In the following link there is more information about this technique: What is spermatic vitrification?

Results obtained with frozen semen

In good quality samples, although some seminal parameters may be altered after the thawing process (such as the number of live sperm or mobility), this technique will not reduce the chances of treatment success.

However, if the quality of the sample is poor, the alterations in the parameters will be more pronounced. Therefore, for those techniques in which a determined concentration of mobile spermatozoa (AI) is needed, the results may be compromised.

Although some of these parameters have been altered, there are studies that have confirmed that the results of assisted reproduction treatments in which the technique of intracytoplasmic microinjection (ICSI) with frozen semen does not worsen.

Prices

Preservation of male fertility is more affordable than the case of women. This is mainly due to the complexity of the technique of egg vitrification. As explained, semen freezing is much simpler.

The cost of freezing varies between different clinics, but is usually around 200-700 ?.

It should be noted that this price normally includes the maintenance of semen frozen for 2 years. From this date, it will be necessary to pay the renewals.

We inform you that Assisted Reproduction ORG has agreements with Spanish clinics to offer you the best price in your treatments. With the download of the discounts you also have the first free visit to inform you of everything without compromise. Just click here: See discounts for sperm freezing.

User questions

Is it possible to use semen from an international sperm bank?

Answer by Institut Marquès

Yes, provided that it is anonymous donor and that the donor has passed the tests established by Spanish legislation.

How long can frozen sperm be kept?

The time during which the sample is cryopreserved does not influence the sperm quality, therefore, we can have the samples frozen as long as necessary. In fact, there are known cases in which samples that have been frozen for up to 22 years have managed to lead to pregnancy, without causing any consequences for offspring.

Is there an age limit for freezing sperm?

Age does not influence the results of sperm cryopreservation. As we have already mentioned, the factor that best predicts the result of freezing is the previous spermatic quality.

Does this treatment go through Social Security?

Yes, as long as it is for medical reasons. For example, in the case of cancer patients, it would be possible to perform the Social Security treatment, since sperm cryopreservation would be done by medical indication.