Cryopreservation

care

SEMEN FREEZINGWhat is sperm freezing?

Sperm freezing is also known as cryopreservation or semen banking is a technique of preserving sperms by freezing and storing in liquid nitrogen at the temperature of -196⁰C that is used on a later date for IUI or in IVF,ICSI for fertilizing an egg. The standard time for storing a sperm is 10 years, but the storage time can be extended up to 55 years.

Sperm freezing is useful if:

Men who have difficulty producing a sample on the day of fertility treatment.

you have a condition or are facing medical treatment for a condition, that may affect your fertility.

pooling of sample in poor count

because of their careers,husband not available at the time of IUI which can be done using frozen sample and couple can plan their pregnancy

Sperm donors

Risk of injury or death

Procedure before cryopreservation

The person should go through careful screening for HIV,HBV,HCV, etc.to avoid chances of infection.

A written consent on sperm usage in case of your demise. If it can be used by another person, used for research purposes or can be donated to someone else.

The process:

Semen obtained by masturbation is brought into the laboratory within an hour. At the lab, the quantity and quality of the sperm in the semen is analysed. The sample is then divided into parts and transferred into several vials which are stored under freezing conditions.

The number of vials depends upon the quantity of semen sample and the number of mobile sperm in each millilitre of the semen. The freezing process requires three hours. The number and motility of the sperm is examined after the vial is thawed and sperm is defrosted.

The highest number of sperms are found in ejaculates at least 48 hours apart. Therefore, three separate ejaculates are preferred for sperm banking process.

However, before the treatment, the motility and mobility of the frozen sperm is analysed following thawing to ensure high rate of conception. The couples also undergo counselling with infertility specialist to be aware of the technique and its outcome before attempting it.