Semen Freezing

What is sperm freezing and storage?

• Sperm can be frozen for future use either in artificial insemination or other fertility treatments, or be donated.
• Donated sperm has to be stored for six months before it can be used in treatment, in order to screen the donor for infections.
• Sperm cells have been frozen, thawed and successfully used in treatment for more than 40 years, although not all sperm survive the freezing process.

Storing your sperm may enable you to use them for treatment in the future. You may want to consider freezing your sperm if:

• you have a condition or are facing medical treatment for a condition, that may affect your fertility
• you are about to have a vasectomy
• you have a low sperm count or the quality of your sperm is deteriorating
• you have difficulty producing a sample on the day of fertility treatment
• you are at risk of injury or death (eg, you’re a member of the Armed Forces who is being deployed to a war zone)