Fertility Preservation
Sperm & Semen Freezing
Preserve fertility for future family planning, including before cancer treatment that may affect fertility.
Overview
Semen freezing preserves a sample for future use, whether that is part of planned fertility treatment or a precaution before medical treatment that could affect fertility.
Our in-house Male Infertility Andrology Laboratory offers semen freezing as a standard service, including specifically for cancer patients who need to preserve fertility before chemotherapy or radiation.
What's included
- Semen analysis before freezing
- Semen freezing for family planning
- Semen freezing for cancer patients before treatment
- Coordination for long-term cryopreservation storage
CARE TYPE
Fertility Preservation
Consult with
Dr. Fehmida Shaikh
Availability
Mon–Sat, by appointment
Who it's for
Men who want to preserve fertility before cancer treatment, or for future family planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear, compassionate answers to the questions patients ask Dr. Fehmida Shaikh most often.
Why would an individual choose to freeze their sperm?
Sperm freezing (cryopreservation) is chosen for medical fertility preservation before cancer chemotherapy or radiation, prior to vasectomy, before military deployment or extended travel, or as a backup sample for ongoing IVF or IUI treatment cycles.
Why is semen freezing crucial before cancer therapy?
Chemotherapy drugs and pelvic radiation can temporarily or permanently destroy testicular germ cells, leading to irreversible infertility. Freezing sperm prior to starting oncology treatments safeguards your ability to father biological children in the future.
How long can frozen sperm samples remain viable in storage?
Frozen semen stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C remains biologically viable indefinitely. Healthy babies have been successfully conceived using sperm frozen for more than 20 to 30 years.
Does sperm freezing increase the risk of birth defects?
No. Decades of international medical evidence confirm that babies conceived from frozen-thawed sperm have the same health outcomes, developmental milestones, and birth defect rates as children conceived naturally.
What is the procedure for freezing sperm at Fehmida Hospital?
The process involves infectious disease blood screening, providing a fresh semen sample after 2 to 5 days of abstinence, baseline semen analysis, cryoprotectant addition, controlled freezing, and secure long-term liquid nitrogen tank storage.
How many samples should ideally be frozen?
Freezing 2 to 3 separate samples collected a few days apart is generally recommended to provide ample straws for multiple future IUI or IVF/ICSI pregnancy attempts.
