Freezing sperm

At CARE Fertility we offer Sperm Freezing.  It is a simple way of preserving your sperm until you wish to start a family.  Like Egg and Embryo freezing, freezing sperm allows men to save their sperm if they need to delay conception.  For example if they are undergoing a medical procedure that may affect their fertility.  However unlike eggs, sperm can be frozen and stored indefinitely, there are no limits placed on how long sperm can remain frozen.

Why do I need to freeze my sperm?

• There are many reasons why men choose to freeze their sperm.  Some of the most common are;
• You are about to undergo a vasectomy.
• Before medical treatments such as chemotherapy which may affect fertility and sperm quality. Men choose to freeze their sperm prior to starting treatment.
• You are a sperm donor.
• You have a medical condition that may result in infertility later in life.
• If you have difficulty producing a sample on the day of treatment, and you and your partner are undergoing IVF.
• You have a low sperm count, and you may or may not be undergoing ICSI treatment.
• During a surgical sperm recovery.  If you’re having a recovery treatment, we’ll aim to freeze some sperm for you.
• You are working or travelling abroad and or might be at risk of contracting an infection that could affect your sperm.

Sperm freezing – the process

Generally, we’ll freeze sperm that you’ve provided us with in a semen sample, but we can also collect it surgically if required.  Before you begin the procedure, it will be explained in more detail by your medical specialist.

1. You will be screened for infectious diseases including HIV, HLTV and Hepatitis B/C
2. You need to provide written consent for your sperm to be stored
3. You produce the sperm sample at the clinic
4. Your sperm is frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen in small batches, using a special solution that will protect it during the transfer to storage.

Sperm freezing success rates

Provided you use a clinic experienced in the vitrification process, treatments using frozen sperm have almost identical success rates to those using non-frozen sperm.  CARE Fertility are the most experienced fertility group in the UK for the process of sperm freezing.

What are the risks of sperm freezing

As a non-invasive procedure, there are no risks associated with the actual process of collecting sperm.  There are also no risks to recipients of embryos created with frozen sperm, or to babies created from those embryos.

How much does sperm freezing cost?

At CARE Fertility your first sperm freeze procedure and storage for 3 years is £450.  

If you require other treatments, such as IVF or ICSI for example or would like to continue storing your sperm, this will be charged separately at a cost of £500 for an additional 2 years (i.e. a total of 5 years) or £700 for an additional 5 years (i.e. a total of 8 years)  You can view our full costs of IVF Treatment here.

How long can sperm be frozen for?

Your sperm can be frozen and stored for as long as your storage consent allows.  That’s usually up to 10 years but may be longer depending on why you’re freezing your sperm.  The HFEA regulates storage and dictates that you consent to the storage of your sperm and its future use, so your consent can be changed or withdrawn whenever you like.