A man may choose to safeguard his fertility by collecting, freezing and storing his sperm for use at a later date. Also known as sperm cryopreservation, our scientists can preserve your sperm using state-of-the-art sperm-freezing techniques.
Men usually undergo fertility preservation via sperm freezing for medical reasons. For instance, certain chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgical treatments associated with specific cancers can have long-lasting ramifications on a man’s fertility. Therefore, freezing sperm can be a good idea before starting these treatments. Sometimes, this must be done urgently to prevent a delay in the treatment.
Other reasons why men may choose to freeze their sperm include:
Semen samples are usually self-collected at our Box Hill clinic in Melbourne, Victoria. Upon arriving at our treatment centre, you will be discretely escorted to our private amenities where you will be required to ejaculate into a specimen jar. On the day, a Newlife IVF staff member will provide you with detailed instructions on how to produce and store your semen sample (to minimise the chances of contamination occurring). The number of collections required will depend on the quality of your sperm.
Men with no sperm in their semen (azoospermia) will require a testicular biopsy. During this procedure, sperm are retrieved by passing a fine needle directly into the testicle under local or general anaesthetic.
Once your sample has been collected, Newlife IVF’s scientists will separate the sperm contained within the semen. After thorough analysis to ensure your sperm concentration and count, motility (movement) and morphology (shape) are healthy, the sperm will be frozen. This method of sperm freezing involves keeping and storing the sperm at extremely cold temperatures with liquid nitrogen.
When you decide the time is right to use your frozen sperm, the sample will be thawed and used in the normal IVF process. Dependent on the number and quality of sperm, the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be required as part of the IVF cycle.
Freezing your sperm is not a guarantee for a baby in the future. The proportion of sperm that will survive the process of freezing depends on the individual and the original quality of the sperm. Also, once the sperm are thawed, several hurdles must be overcome, including successful fertilisation and embryo growth. Therefore, freezing sperm and storing your sample in liquid nitrogen is not a guarantee for a baby in the future. However, it is the most important thing you can do to preserve your fertility.
The cost of sperm collection and freezing at Newlife IVF is $515.* This includes the first 6 months of storage in our Melbourne facility, after which the ongoing cost of storing frozen sperm is $270 per 6 months.* There is currently no Medicare rebate for sperm freezing. For more detailed information, please see our fees page.
If you would like to find out more about male fertility preservation, please do not hesitate to contact one of our fertility specialists. Whatever the reason, we’re very happy to walk you through the process of freezing sperm.
*Fees correct as of 1 January 2024.
Freezing sperm can affect sperm quality. But the extent of the impact can vary depending on a variety of factors such as the quality of the sperm before freezing, the method of freezing and the duration of storage before thawing.
Overall, the impact of freezing on sperm quality is typically outweighed by the benefits of being able to preserve sperm for use in future fertility treatments.