Sperm freezing is also known as cryopreservation or semen banking is a technique of preserving sperms by freezing and storing in liquid nitrogen at the temperature of -196⁰C that is used on a later date for fertilizing an egg.

Sperm freezing is useful 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)

Procedure before you store sperm

• You need to go through careful screening for HIV, HBV, HCV, etc. to avoid chances of infection.
• You need to give a written consent regarding what will happen to your sperm if you cannot make decisions for yourself or die, whether anybody can use your sperm such as your partner or for research or if it can be donated for somebody else’s treatment and for how long you want to store your sperm

The standard time for storing a sperm is 10 years, but you can extend the storage time up to 55 years. Before doing that your Andrologist will check the condition of the sperm in one of the vials and helps you decide on the fate of the frozen sperms.