Freezing sperm

The sperm freezing process

Freezing sperm is a relatively simple process. You will need to complete some screening blood tests and sign consent forms before coming in to the clinic, in accordance with British law. Blood tests (screening for HIV, Hepatitis B Core Antibodies, Hepatitis B Surface Antigens and Hepatitis C) can be done by your GP or privately. You will then need to abstain for 2-5 days before coming into the clinic to produce a sample. The sample will be frozen using advanced fast-freezing which allows frozen sperm to be stored for 10 years. Once frozen, the sperm can be thawed when you are ready to use it.

Sperm Freezing success rates

Sperm Freezing has been used successfully for many years but the success of the IVF treatment comes down to the actual quality of the sperm that has been frozen. Poor sperm samples are less likely to give a successful outcome compared to healthy sperm samples.

There can be a small decrease in in sperm quality after freezing but where possible we test sperm samples by thawing a small amount to check for vitality after the sperm freezing process is complete.