There are a number of reasons people look to preserve their fertility into the future. One reason is to preserve fertility after being damaged by radioactive cancer treatment, and another is for people who think their fertility may decline before they are ready to have children.
Sperm can also be frozen as back up for fertility treatment, for people who think their fertility may decline before they are ready to have children, or as ‘insurance’ before a vasectomy.
Options for fertility preservation may exist prior to and after cancer treatment, however it is very important that if you have time before you start your treatment, you speak with a fertility specialist - to ensure you have the full picture.
The process
- During a vasectomy: Sperm can sometimes be banked during a vasectomy reversal by taking sperm from the epididymis during the operation
- Surgical sperm retrieval: Sperm are usually frozen for future use during surgical sperm retrieval (SSR). Sperm obtained in either of these ways will need to be used as part of IVF treatment using sperm microinjection (IMSI)
Why freeze and store sperm
- Many treatments for cancer can have the potential to affect your ability to conceive naturally. This risk is influenced by the type and extent of your disease*.
- Sperm can be frozen and stored long-term for people who face losing their fertility due to medical treatments.
- *For more information about your individual fertility risk, please talk to your Oncologist, Urologist, Endocrinologist or other appropriate specialist.
Using frozen sperm
There are two types of treatment when using frozen sperm - the choice depends on the number and quality of the sperm collected, and whether the cycle includes donor oocytes.
Sperm freezing is straight forward and many people will have enough sperm in one ejaculate for several IVF cycles. If there are enough good quality sperm after thawing then the first approach may be to try IUI treatment, keeping some sperm in reserve for IVF later if IUI is not successful. If you want to consider IUI as an option, you will almost certainly need to freeze three or more semen samples.
Good to know
Storage time limit: Malaysia Medical Council guidelines limit storage of sperm, eggs or embryos to a maximum of five (5) years initially, which can be extended up to ten (10) years upon written request before you reach the ten year limit.
- Consent: You will need to sign a consent form as part of storing sperm, eggs or embryos.
- Contact information: Keep your contact details up to date using the form below.
- Cryopreservation maintenance: Annual cryopreservation maintenance charges are applicable for storage of your sperm, eggs or embryos. We may discard material if you default in paying storage fees, or we can’t contact you after six (6) months.