Sperm freezing prepares patients for successful conception

Sperm is contained in the male ejaculate, or the fluid called semen. For over six decades cryopreservation (freezing) has proven to be a successful and cost effective option for fertility treatments such as IUI and IVF. Our Los Angeles fertility center works with reputable sperm banks nationwide to provide long term storage options.

Sperm banks store samples at -196˚ in liquid nitrogen. Frozen sperm has a long “shelf life,” and can be thawed and successfully incorporated into a fertility treatment cycle even decades later. At USC Fertility, we reassure patients that babies born from frozen sperm are not at an increased risk for physical or developmental disorders. It’s an established and effective option for fertility treatments.

You may need access to frozen sperm to start your family, particularly in third-party reproduction cycles. There are other situations that call for sperm cryopreservation.

Sperm freezing for medical necessity

When treatment for a medical diagnosis such as cancer will affect the pelvic region and male reproductive organs, we can take proactive steps to preserve fertility. In these situations, we sometimes refer to sperm freezing as fertility preservation.

Sperm freezing for special circumstances

Life doesn’t always cooperate with plans to get pregnant. For instance, when members of our military report for duty away from spouses for extended periods of time, we can keep family building plans on track with sperm freezing prior to deployment.

Sperm freezing to address male infertility

Nearly half of all cases of infertility have male factors, including sperm disorders that may prevent natural conception from occurring. We have the ability to treat severe male infertility, a low sperm count or total absence of sperm (azoospermia), with an advanced IVF treatment called intracytoplasmic sperm injection. After your sperm is analyzed in the lab, we may freeze samples for later use. During IVF, a thawed sample provides your fertility specialist access to viable sperm samples.

Contact us at our Los Angeles fertility clinic to arrange for a consultation with our reproductive endocrinologists who specialize in female and male infertility. The established practice of sperm freezing may unlock the doors to a family for you.