@Home Sperm Freeze Kits are Available
Any male diagnosed with cancer is at risk of becoming infertile due to treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or major surgeries. While many patients successfully fight off the cancer and regain their health, their reproductive future often gets overlooked as the focus is completely turned towards the fight for survival.
The Fertility Center of California (FCC) has developed a revolutionary @Home Sperm Freezing Kit (for sperm cryopreservation), which can be delivered to a patient anywhere in the US and used to create a viable semen sample for long-term storage. This kit has not only helped cancer patients, but also military personnel that are suddenly deployed or anyone that needs to freeze their sperm to preserve fertility in a time-sensitive manner.
About the @Home Sperm Kits
The @Home Sperm Freezing Kit contains the materials and instructions necessary for patients to produce a usable sperm sample at home or in the hospital. The fees include the processing, freezing, and storage of the specimen for one year. The frozen sperm can remain potent for decades. Fees can be found here.
The @Home Sperm Freezing Kit is designed to eliminate a dilemma facing some men: whether to postpone treatment while pursuing sperm preservation. Gathering information about sperm preservation, where and how to do it, how to ship off a specimen if no sperm bank is nearby can take several days and possibly delay treatment of some fast-growing cancers. With this revolutionary technology, a patient can preserve his child-bearing capabilities in a matter of hours.
Fertility Center of California is dedicated to increasing fertility options for young cancer patients. Financially strapped patients can apply for discounts through our center and grants from various organizations such as Fertile Hope and the Lance Armstrong foundation. Learn more about our special offers.
Order an @Home Sperm Freezing Kit
Our @Home Sperm Freeze Kit Refund Policy:
The refunded amount will be based on processing, transportation, and administrative costs. No refunds will be offered 60 days after purchase of @Home Sperm Freeze Kit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the @Home Sperm Freezing Kit and how does it work?
FCC has developed a unique preservation kit which makes it possible for men to send their specimen from anywhere in the continental United States to FCC for long-term storage. Each kit comes complete with the necessary forms, detailed instructions, transport solution and return shipping labels. The solution is added to the specimen after collection. Overnight delivery helps ensure that FCC receives and processes the semen specimen within 24 hours.
Is banking my sperm at an on-site clinic better than by mail?
FCC cannot guarantee the quality of the specimen, which depends on many factors including the sample produced and transit. Due to these factors, banking on site at a clinic will likely produce a higher quality specimen than banking by mail. However, using kit is an effective alternative to sperm banking on site and eliminates any treatment delays. In addition, it makes it easy to coordinate with your therapy and allows you the privacy of collecting the specimen in a place where you feel comfortable.
How and when do I collect my specimen?
Manual stimulation (masturbation) is the acceptable method of obtaining the specimen. In order to obtain the best specimen for freezing, it is recommended that you abstain from any ejaculation for at least 48-72 hours. It is also important that you do not abstain for more than 5 days. If you ejaculate too frequently or have too much time between ejaculations, your sperm quality may drop. The time between collection and freezing at FCC is also critical. You should arrange to collect the specimen as close as possible to the time of return shipment. More detailed information is provided in the kit.
How do I ship the kit?
The return shipment should be made using the provided pre-paid Priority Overnight service label. You must take the kit to UPS between Monday and Thursday. FCC is not open to receive shipments on Saturday or Sunday and you should contact FCC for our holiday schedule. Specimens must be collected the same day that they are shipped. More detailed information is in the enclosed instructions sheet.
How is payment collected and how much does it cost?
Payment is required when the specimen is received by FCC for processing. The cost of the kit includes shipping, processing, and storage. FCC will not process or store specimens if payment is not received. Payment can be made via check, debit or credit card. The payment for the kit includes the following:
- The kit and shipping
- Processing, analysis and freezing
- Storage for one year*
The cost for additional kits shipped within 30 days is available at a discounted price. Fees for first time kits and additional can be found here.
*Monthly storage plans and discount long term storage plans are also available for the client's selection. For details on cost and payment options, contact FCC at (888) 951-CRYO. Financial assistance programs to help with the costs of sperm banking may also be available.
What is infectious disease screening and why is it required to bank my sperm?
Clients who bank sperm for future use are required by regulatory agencies to have testing for infectious diseases. In strict compliance with industry standards, separate bio-hazardous storage is maintained for specimens that have tested positive for infectious diseases. Testing includes ALL of the following:
- HIV 1 & 2 (AIDS) Antibody
- Hepatitis B Surface Antigen
- Hepatitis C Viral Antibody
- HTLV 1 & 2
- RPR
What does FCC do once it receives my specimen?
Upon receiving your shipment and before freezing your specimen, FCC will do a quality analysis. This analysis will determine the number of sperm, as well as the motility (activity) and morphology (shape) of the sperm. Based on the information from the analysis, FCC will divide the specimen into vials to be used later in order to attempt pregnancy. FCC will only store specimens that show viable sperm cells. Additionally, FCC freezes a small sample of your specimen and thaws it the next business day. On this small sample, we perform a post-thaw analysis to determine how well your specimen survives the freezing process. With current reproductive technology, very few sperm are needed to produce a successful pregnancy. Based on the analysis results of the first sample, you may choose to bank additional deposits.
How is my specimen stored?
FCC provides effective storage and maintenance of specimens until you decide to use them to grow your family or terminate the storage agreement. Specimens are kept in storage tanks filled with liquid nitrogen which are inspected daily. While the entire system operates independently of electricity, the premises and tanks are constantly monitored to assure proper storage conditions as well as overall building security. Staff is on call 24 hours each day. If you plan to store your sperm for many years, contact FCC to find out about long term, pre-paid storage. This can help to reduce the storage costs over an extended period of time.
How do I use my banked sperm after treatment?
When you are ready to use frozen sperm specimens, request to have them shipped to your physician, usually a reproductive endocrinologist. Release forms are required for the shipping of specimens. Contact FCC with at least one week notice to ensure that all processes are in place for the shipping and protection of your vials. There is a small fee for shipping. FCC uses specially designed transport canisters to preserve the specimen's frozen state.
