Sperm freezing

Sperm freezing allows you to preserve your fertility, or donate your sperm to be used in another familys treatment.

What to expect

Before freezing your sample, you will need to do a blood test for certain infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. This is a regulatory requirement for anyone storing gametes or embryos at the clinic. You will need to give written, informed consent for us to freeze and store your sperm. Find out more about consenting to procedures on the HFEA's website.

You will need to produce a fresh sample of your sperm at the centre, if you are able. We will mix your sperm with a special fluid that will help to protect it during the freezing process. Then, stored your sample in multiple containers called straws. This will possibly allow us to use this frozen sperm samplefor multiple treatments. The samples are cooled and then stored in liquid nitrogen.

When you decide to use your sperm, we will thaw it and use it in the treatment of your choice. If you have frozen sperm left over after treatment, you can choose to continue storing it, or discard it.

Risks

There are no known risks to freezing your sperm for future use.

Visit HFEA to learn more about sperm freezing.