SPERM FREEZING
Reasons for cryopreservation:
Many applications exist for short and
long term storage of semen. Some common reasons why
people choose to store semen samples include:
Vasectomy: Whilst
the majority of men choose a vasectomy as a form of
birth control and see it as a permanent decision, in
some individuals unexpected changes in a patient's life
such as a new marriage or death of a child or spouse
can give rise to the desire to have more children. Although
vasectomies can be surgically reversed, success is widely
variable, and the surgery, is expensive and invasive.
Additionally, after an initially successful reversal,
the ducts through which the sperm travel often develop
scar tissue and become obstructed. As most individuals
plan for a vasectomy well in advance, cryopreservation
prior to having a vasectomy provides an effective form
of insurance against a change in future plans.
Treatment for
malignant disease: Hodgkin's
disease, leukemia, testicular cancer, and other malignancies
often occur in juveniles, young adults and others who
haven't started or completed their families. Fortunately,
early detection and improved therapies have dramatically
increased the survival rate for these diseases. Unfortunately,
the chemotherapeutic agents and radiation therapy used
to treat these diseases affect the production of sperm.
The response to treatment varies considerably, depending
on how far the disease has progressed prior to treatment,
the type and quantity of agents used, and the specific
individual's reaction to the treatment. While many patients
have undergone chemotherapy will eventually have a return
of sperm production to varying degrees, some therapies,
such as treatment with platinum based agents, result
in a high probability of sterility. Even though the
time between diagnosis and initiation of treatment is
short, there is often a window of several days in which
a patient can cryopreserve his semen. We have been cryopreservering
sperm for more than 10 years for cancer patients at
the C.A.R.E. Clinic.
NB: The concentration of progressively motile sperm
must be within acceptable limits to consider cryopreservation
and storage. The cryo survival rate is estimated at
50%.
