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Sperm Storage

Sperm banking might be considered as a reasonable alternative to vasectomy reversal in the unlikely event that the individual wishes to father children in the future in a patient considering a vasectomy.
 

Stored sperm can be used for many fertility procedures including IVF (in vitro fertilization), ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), and IUI (Intrauterine Insemination). 

 

Sperm Storage through ReproTech, Ltd.

ReproTech, Ltd. (RTL) supports a network of top fertility centers specializing in the treatment of infertility. Following cryopreservation at one of the centers, specimens are shipped to ReproTech for long-term cryostorage at one of its four (4) facilities. To locate the nearest member of the Fertility Preservation Network, go to www.reprotech.com or call 888-953-9669. If you are unable to travel to one of the members of the Fertility Preservation Network, ReproTech also offers a sperm banking by mail kit, OverNite MaleTM Kit for $575, which may be used to send your specimen by FedEx to their processing lab. 

Sperm Storage through Xytex Corporation

One company that has long been in the business of Long Term Storage (LTS) of sperm is Xytex Corporation (www.xytex.com), headquartered in Augusta, Georgia, with additional offices in Atlanta and Raleigh. Xytex can mail a patient a Cryokit® for sperm storage by mail, so the candidate can carry out the whole process in the privacy of his own home.

Here's how it works:

  1. Call Xytex at 1-800-353-5748 and request a cryokit. If you have any technical questions, Kate Howell will be happy to address them.

  2. After receiving a cryokit by mail and over a period of one week, collect 3 semen samples. For each collection, you are provided a storage tube for 95% of the semen and a drop tube for 5% of the semen.

  3. After collection of the third specimen, mail the cryokit back to Xytex.

  4. The drop tube specimen will be tested by Xytex to determine whether the remainder of the semen is worth storing, i.e., likely to cause a pregnancy when used. Xytex will contact you by phone with the semen test results.

  5. If favorable, you will have to decide whether to continue storage and for how many years. If unfavorable, you can still store, but with less expectation of success if and when the semen is used.

 

Sperm Storage through CryoChoice

 

CryoChoice is another excellent option. The company, based in Atlanta, offers a cost-effective home kit for privately banking sperm. As of July 2013, 6 monthly payments of $99 each could satisfy the total first year's cost of $599. which includes one complete collection kit, at-home pick-up and delivery of your sample, lab processing and testing, and the first year's storage. All clients who store with CryoChoice commit to a minimum of three years' storage at $139 per year for years 2 & 3, then that same rate per year until the client decides to cancel. To learn more, visit www.cryochoice.com or call 800-619-7869.

Sperm Storage with the Ro Sperm Kit

https://ro.co/spermkit/. $199 Semen Analysis and Storage for 1 year at New England Cryogenic Center.

Sperm Storage with Fellow

https://www.meetfellow.com/kit-plus-cryo. $189 for Semen Analysis + $140 per year for storage.

Frozen semen

While you may be able to preserve your semen without incurring any professional fees (except those paid to the sperm storage facility), you will need the services of a gynecologist to use it.

If the semen is of good quality (high sperm count and activity), it can be injected directly into your partner's cervix at the time of ovulation, a process known as artificial insemination (AI) or intra-uterine insemination (IUI). You can check with a local GYN offices to learn the "going price" for AI.  Chances of stored semen causing a pregnancy in the first month (female cycle) of use are about 18.5% for women <35 years old, just slightly less than the monthly chance of pregnancy in a healthy couple (20%) of similar age.

If the semen is of sub-optimal quality (low sperm count or activity), an infertility specialist may recommend in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This would require harvesting your partner's eggs surgically, fertilizing them directly with your thawed sperm, then re-implanting the fertilized egg(s) into your partner's uterus. This process can cost thousands of dollars, depending on the number of attempts made.

Summary

While vasectomy reversal success rates are good, reversals don't always result in sperm return to the semen. Cryopreservation (preservation by freezing) of semen prior to vasectomy can alleviate concerns about the permanency of vasectomy and the possibility of reversal failure. Three semen samples can be shipped, evaluated, and stored for two years for less than $1000. While most vasectomy candidates will never use their stored sperm, they may get peace of mind knowing "it's there".

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