Sperm storage, sperm cryopreservation, and sperm banking are all terms used to define the rapidly growing use of fertility preservation. Sperm is collected via a variety of methods, and frozen in cryovials or straws then stored in liquid nitrogen-filled tanks (cryopreservation). This has proven to be an extremely effective means of preserving sperm, and when combined with the appropriate storage and shipping protocols sperm can be preserved indefinitely. Even 40-year-old cryopreserved sperm was used to conceive – shattering the previous record of 28-year cryopreserved sperm.
By far the largest group of sperm storage users are cancer patients. Due to the high cure rates for many types of cancer, oncology professionals are more frequently directing patients to fertility preservation options prior to cancer treatments that could leave them infertile.
Many of Reprotech’s clients have chosen sperm cryopreservation as a proactive measure for a variety of life events or careers that could leave them infertile. This is the best step to take to preserve the possibility of conceiving a biological child with their spouse or partner in the future.
Since 1990, Reprotech has been the leader in the long-term storage of cryopreserved human reproductive tissues. It is all we do.
With five facilities strategically located throughout the U.S., and an ever-expanding network of Fertility Preservation clinics, we’ve created the most convenient, effective, and affordable means for collecting, storing, and returning cryopreserved sperm.
Coconut Creek, Florida Cryostorage
St. Paul, Minnesota Cryostorage
Trumbull, Connecticut Cryostorage
Each of our five locations are monitored 24/7 by state-of-the-art monitoring systems, which record temperature changes as small as 0.01 degrees Celsius. Additionally, all tanks are manually monitored on a weekly basis by our experienced personnel, and our facilities are under 24-hour security and surveillance. Each facility has on-site backup, bulk nitrogen storage, and all electronic data is backed up daily with off-site data storage.
Sperm storage and sperm cryopreservation are fast, efficient, and reliable when you choose Reprotech. Your options include the convenience of our OverNite Male™ Kit for at-home, expedited specimens. Or, you can work through the largest network of sperm freezing centers in the U.S. to find a clinic near you. Either way, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your future is safe with the worldwide leader in long-term sperm storage.
Reprotech works closely with fertility service centers across the United States to make sperm cryopreservation services available nationwide. While Reprotech does not provide sperm freezing services, our network of freezing centers do. Once specimens have been preserved, we coordinate the transportation of your frozen semen to Reprotech for long-term storage.
To locate a sperm freezing center near you, please see Reprotech’s Fertility Preservation Network for more information. Sperm banking appointments are available for scheduling within one to three days of your initial call. While it is advantageous for patients to bank all frozen semen specimens prior to beginning therapies that can result in infertility, recent studies have shown that viable samples can be collected in the early stages of some treatments.
OverNite Male kit is a convenient tool for men who are either unable to reach one of our freezing centers or who prefer to collect their specimens in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Using our OverNite Male™ kit, patients can now collect their specimens at home and FedEx® the specimen(s) directly to the University of Illinois at Chicago Andrology Laboratory using our OverNite Male™ Kit. The OverNite Male™ Kit is the original overnight sperm banking system and the only one with 15 years of proven success.
When it is not possible to produce a sperm sample for storage, sperm can often be obtained from a testicular tissue biopsy using a technique called (testicular sperm extraction TESE). In many cases, sperm can be retrieved from the testes of men who have become infertile due to cancer treatments. TESE is a common procedure in many fertility service clinics across the country for adult men but is less commonly used (and considered experimental) for fertility preservation in adolescent boys. TESE is an outpatient procedure where testicular tissue is surgically removed and frozen for future use. When needed, the testicular tissue is thawed, evaluated, and an attempt is made to locate and retrieve sperm cells, which may be used in combination with Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
Sperm banking is not an option for prepubertal boys who are not yet producing sperm. However, these boys do have stem cells in their testes that are poised to begin producing sperm at puberty. Currently, there are some experimental studies underway to preserve testicular tissue obtained by biopsy and freeze it for future use. The tissue contains stem cells that will be able to start spermatogenesis (sperm production). Testicular tissue freezing is considered experimental and is generally only offered in a research setting with IRB oversight. Several studies are developing protocols that will enable scientists and physicians to use the frozen/thawed testicular tissue and stem cells to produce sperm in the laboratory or by re-implanting, years later, back into the individual. Research has proven these strategies are effective in animals and it is envisioned that they will also be effective in humans.
The Fertility Preservation in Pittsburgh program is a multidisciplinary working group that includes key stakeholders at Magee-Women’s Research Institute, Magee-Women’s Hospital of UPMC, and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. The Fertility Preservation Program of Pittsburgh has established a dedicated phone line (412-641-7475) that patients and their physicians can call to learn about the reproductive side effects of their treatments and options for preserving their fertility. This is a discussion that needs to happen before toxic therapies are initiated and fertility is irreversibly destroyed. There are no standard options to preserve the fertility of boys and girls who are not yet producing mature eggs or sperm. For these young patients, The Fertility Preservation Program of Pittsburgh is approved to freeze testicular or ovarian tissue that might be used in the future to restore fertility when experimental techniques emerge from the research pipeline. For more information on standard and experimental options for preserving fertility please visit Fertility Preservation Pittsburgh’s Website, or email them at fertilitypreservation@upmc.edu or call 412-641-7475.
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