What is sperm freezing?

It is a technique that allows a man to preserve his fertility by freezing and storing his semen in a sperm bank.

This semen can be used in the future to achieve pregnancies through assisted reproductive techniques.

It is a simple technique that requires serology tests of the patient and a seminogram of the semen to know in what conditions it is frozen and what its viability will be once it is thawed. The only important thing to perform the technique is that there are motile sperm in the ejaculate.

Patients whose physical conditions put their future fertility at risk and require the preservation of their semen to be used at a better time are:

  • Patients with low sperm quality: When the quality of the semen is not perfect, the patient can be suggested to freeze several samples before starting an assisted reproduction treatment, to ensure the presence of sperm that fertilize the eggs obtained after a sperm. follicular aspiration.

  • When there are difficulties to obtain the sample: Sometimes there are difficulties when obtaining the semen on the day of the assisted reproduction procedure. If this happens, the patient is recommended to take the sample in advance, when they do not feel pressured or have any emotional block, or when due to some situation they cannot be present on the day of the aspiration (for example: a work trip or a distant home ). This sample is frozen and used on the scheduled day. Likewise, testicular biopsy samples or seropositive men can be taken beforehand to do the corresponding washings.

  • Cancer patients: When patients undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy, there is a high probability that their fertile capacity will be altered. If your fertility is preserved by freezing your semen, it can be used after the disease is over, so that you can achieve a pregnancy when you are ready to have a family.

  • Men who want to have a vasectomy: As a precaution, in case they want to become fathers in the future, some men who want a vasectomy preserve their semen by freezing it.

  • Sperm donors: Freezing sperm samples from donors allows the necessary tests to be carried out before use, while ensuring that they do not transmit any infectious disease.

  • Transsexual patients: If the patient is going to undergo a sex transition surgery, they can cryopreserve their sperm for future use through uterine surrogacy or through assisted reproductive treatment for the couple in the case of being female homosexuals. .

“Women’s health is important at all stages of life, from childhood to adolescent, to adulthood and old age.”

Biol. Luis Machorro
Biol. Luis Machorro
IVF and Andrology Laboratory

Vitrification of eggs and embryos at the Mexican Institute of Infertility.

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