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11 December 2015

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4 minute read

Freezing your sperms: What you need to know

By Dr. Mohd Suhaimi Hassan

Sperm cryopreservation or sperm freezing is a method for men to preserve their sperm and store it in a bank for future use. Sperm freezing allows sperm to be used in the future for fertility treatments, such as intra uterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF). If you do not need them you may also donate your sperms, provided you go through a proper counseling by your doctor and trained counsellor.

No one actually knows how long the sperms can be frozen for and remain effective. However, sperms more than 40 years old have been used for treatment resulting in successful pregnancies. It should also be noted that some sperms do not survive the freezing process.

Screening Before Freezing

You must know the reasons for you to freeze your sperms. If you fit into this category, you need to see your doctor and counselor. They will discuss with you the risks involved with freezing and the possible social implications. Usually your doctor will screen you for infective diseases such as hepatitis, syphilis and rubella. You need to tell your doctor if you have genetic diseases such as thallasemia and cancer, which can be transmitted to the offsprings produced in the future. Your doctor will screen for thallasemia if this in your family history.

You must know the reasons for you to freeze your sperms. If you fit into this category, you need to see your doctor and counselor. They will discuss with you the risks involved with freezing and the possible social implications. Usually your doctor will screen you for infective diseases such as hepatitis, syphilis and rubella. You need to tell your doctor if you have genetic diseases such as thallasemia and cancer, which can be transmitted to the offsprings produced in the future. Your doctor will screen for thallasemia if this in your family history.

Who Need to Freeze

  1. If you are going for cancer treatment using chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
    For example if you have blood cancer such as leukemia, you may need to go through chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells. The medications used to kill the cancer cells are strong and may also kill the testicular tissues where your sperms are being produced. As result of this treatment, production of sperm will become low or even become azoospermic (no more sperms).

    Following completion of treatment your remaining testicular tissue will not be able to produce any more sperms. Even if your testicular tissue produces some sperms after chemotherapy, the quality will be poor and usually the pregnancy resulting from these low quality sperms will be miscarried.
     
  2. If you are going through vasectomy
    Photocredit: menshealth.com Vasectomy is a process where men go throughs a surgical procedure for male sterilization or permanent contraception. During the procedure, the male vas deferens are severed and then tied in a manner so as to prevent sperm from entering into the seminal stream (ejaculate) and thereby prevent fertilization. The procedure is done when the couple has completed their family. We do encourage men to freeze their sperms following the procedure as it can act as a standby sperms for future use. Sometime situation may change such as death of their child, new relationship and sudden need to expand their existing family. The option then is to either to go through a surgical procedure to reverse the vasectomy or go through a surgical sperms retrieval. Having your sperms frozen earlier will save you from going through another surgical procedure.  
  1. You have poor quality sperms Sometimes men with low quality sperms will deteriorate to become azoospermic (zero sperms). This is due to some internal factors which cannot be corrected. It is a good practice to encourage them to freeze.
    2.  
  2. Some logistical reasons  Sometime couples do not live together due to their work commitment. In Columbia Asia Hospita – Setapak we do have many women whose husband work overseas. They freeze their sperms so that their spouse can have treatment while they are away. Some men have difficulty in producing their sperms on the day of treatment. These men need to freeze their sperms.

Freezing process

Photocredit: rainbowivf.in

Following your screening process, you will be given a date for freezing. You should abstain for at least 2 to 3 days so that the quality of sperms are not compromised.
Your sperms will be centrifuged so that only the good quality one are being frozen. All the sperms are filled into small tubes or vials. The vials are labeled with your name and date to avoid mistakes. They are then kept in a thank filled with liquid nitrogen.

You must be in control to your frozen sperms. Consent is needed and your doctor must be aware of your future needs, such as if you divorce your spouse or if you die. However your needs must suit your culture and the existing law of the country. You may also request for your sperms to be used for research or be donated to men with no sperms.

Photocredit: fertile.com

You can also withdraw freezing of your sperms at any time and decide on how long you want to keep your sperms frozen.

Risks

So far medical research have shown that the offspring produced as result of treatment do not have any long term effect.

Before freezing your sperms, you should know the procedures involved especially the information in the consent forms. Clarify with your doctor of your actual need to freeze your sperms.

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11 December 2015

•

4 minute read

Freezing your sperms: What you need to know

By Dr. Mohd Suhaimi Hassan

Dr. Mohd Suhaimi Hassan

Obstetrics And Gynecology And Reproductive Medicine

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