Five Questions Men Have About Freezing Their Sperm

As egg freezing continues to rise in popularity among women, sperm freezing awareness and education seem to somewhat wane. In discussions about fertility, there remains a continued focus on the female partner, and this is understandable as age and fertility for women are closely related. However, age and fertility for men also have a correlation, but one that is simply less well-known. For those men considering male fertility preservation/sperm freezing, we understand that you may have questions, and we’ve answered some of them below.

1. Am I a candidate for sperm freezing?

There are certain situations in which sperm freezing is specifically recommended (see below), but overall, men who are most likely to benefit from the procedure are those with careers that include heavy lifting/injury risk, those who participate in extreme sports, those who are considering a vasectomy but want the option of future family planning, and those who just generally are interested in the additional insurance of having frozen sperm as an option.

2. Do male cancer patients need to freeze their sperm?

We are aware that cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can have a negative impact on a person’s fertility. Because of this, it’s often recommended that cancer patients consider fertility preservation prior to starting treatment (if it’s possible to delay). Certain surgeries relating to cancer treatment can also impact fertility, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about whether you can delay treatment for the time it takes to complete fertility preservation.

3. Do members of the military need to freeze their sperm?

Being an active-duty member of the military, particularly one facing scheduled or potential deployment, can create a reasonable scenario for someone to consider sperm freezing. Survival issues aside, potential injury risks to consider include those involving the groin and spinal cord—both types of injuries could negatively impact male fertility.

4. How does the sperm freezing process work?

• Complete the patient forms for cryopreservation.
• Contact our office to ask any questions you may have and make an appointment to collect a semen sample.
• Prior to the collection of semen, sexual abstinence for at least two days but not more than five days is recommended to maximize the quality of the sample for cryopreservation.
• The specimen will be collected into a sterile container through masturbation.
• A sperm sample will be divided into one or more vials, depending on the number of motile sperm in the original sample.
• We recommend at least 12 vials (three to six samples) be stored. The sperm can also be used in advanced reproductive techniques such as IVF.
• Learn more here.

5. How do I get started with sperm freezing?

We kindly ask that you please review the above steps and then contact our office with any questions you may have.