Should I Freeze My Sperm? Things to Consider in the New Year
The topic of elective fertility preservation is often centered on women who freeze their eggs when they’re young so that they have the option of having a child later in life. This is because women go through a well-documented and defined aging process known as menopause, which is the stage of life in which a woman no longer menstruates or produces viable eggs.
Men, on the other hand, can keep producing sperm even at an advanced age. However, even though men don’t have an exact equivalent of menopause, their sperm quality is likely to decrease as they get older, which can make it difficult to conceive later on in life. As such, fertility preservation for males is something that is worth considering. By freezing their sperm while they are younger and healthy, men have some insurance that they will be able to have a child in the future.
Men who are involved in high-risk careers, such as members of the military, firefighters, and police officers, should definitely consider freezing their sperm. Sperm freezing is also a good option for men who work in industries where there is a strong possibility of a spinal cord injury, such as construction work. With sperm freezing, you will have peace of mind knowing that, if anything happens to you, the possibility of having a child is still available.
Sperm freezing is also important for those who are about to undergo cancer treatment. While procedures such as chemotherapy can save your life, they can cause significant damage to your reproductive system.
While these are the more common reasons men need fertility preservation, some men simply choose to freeze their sperm for personal reasons. One example is freezing your sperm prior to having a vasectomy. Because vasectomies are a long-term form of birth control, many couples and individuals want to take advantage of the benefits. Sperm banking beforehand ensures that you can still have family-planning options available to you if you change your mind in the future. Another example is freezing your sperm because you’re getting older and haven’t found the right person to start a family with yet.
Fertility preservation for men is very simple and can even be done partially at home with the help of a sperm freezing kit. Once you deposit your sample into a sterilized container and give it to the laboratory facility, the semen is treated with a cryoprotectant solution and frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor. In this frozen stasis, the sperm will stay preserved for an indefinite period of time.
To learn more about sperm freezing in the San Diego area and to see if it’s right for you, contact the Fertility Center of California today.
