Three Reasons to Consider Sperm Freezing
Choosing to freeze your sperm at a cryopreservation facility isn’t like choosing where to sit at a baseball game or how to order your steak. It’s a crucial life decision in several cases:
- You’ve got a high-risk career (like military, construction or extreme sports)
- You have cancer, or a family history or personal risk of cancer
- You want to put off starting a family until later in life (after age 45)
In these three instances, sperm freezing can help you preserve the option to have your own biological children. Here’s why:
Your sperm count is vulnerable to stress
Male infertility has been linked to stress and physically intensive jobs, according to research performed at Stanford University. Overexertion and stress can lead to the overproduction of adrenal hormones and steroids, which can decrease the testosterone level in your body that’s vital to sperm count.
Additionally, should you damage any physical aspects of your reproductive system or reduce your ability to function sexually, you could put your fertility at risk. The bottom line when it comes to dangerous activities is that your fertility health is at risk in the same way as your mental and physical health.
Cancer and its treatment can compromise male fertility
Cancer, chemotherapy and radiation can take their toll on your sexual organs and sperm quality. Negative impacts may include:
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Testicles becoming unable to produce healthy sperm
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Ejaculation function becoming unreliable
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Sperm production hormones decreasing
Your fertility is especially vulnerable if you’re undergoing treatment for testicular cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, lymphoma or Hodgkin’s disease.
Sperm quality diminishes as you age
There is a proven link between male fertility and age. Once men get to be 40, they become roughly 30% less likely to achieve conception during a full year of trying. As men age, their sperm decreases in concentration, motility and volume. Additionally, there is some evidence that links age-based DNA sperm fragmentation with fetal abnormalities and birth defects in offspring.
These three life circumstances couple with compelling reasons to consider freezing your youthful, potent sperm to safeguard your fertility. If you’re planning to engage in any of these scenarios for any reason at all, speak with a fertility specialist today to find out more about cryopreservation.
