Freezing and preservation of sperm cells

Sperm freezing and preservation is indicated in men who are about to undergo treatment that may impair fertility (e.g. cancer treatment). Radiation and chemotherapy are extremely toxic to sperm cells and may cause permanent infertility. We also recommend freezing the sperm if you want to postpone parenthood to a later period of life.

In addition to medical indications, cryopreservation of sperm cells is used in cases where the man is unable to be present in time for the artificial insemination of the woman or if there is a risk of impaired fertility (dangerous work, military operations, etc.). The man will provide the seminal fluid by himself at our centre, in a private room provided for that purpose. If there are no sperm cells in the seminal fluid, we will try to find them in the testicular tissue (testis). In this case, a biopsy is performed to obtain sperm cells from the testis or epididymis.

Freezing sperm does not affect the effectiveness of artificial insemination and does not call forth a rise in the frequency of developmental malformations. At our centre, it is possible to freeze sperm for a period of 12 years.

The Health Insurance Fund reimburses sperm freezing and preservation for men up to 40 years of age who are about to undergo fertility-impairing treatment. For more information, see the price list of the Women’s Clinic.