No worse than fresh

The largest study has confirmed that frozen spermatozoa do not lose effectiveness

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

Cryopreservation of sperm is now widely used in IVF and as a personal banking of samples, but there are concerns about their quality in the long term. A study by scientists from the United States refutes this hypothesis and demonstrates equal chances of conception if frozen and fresh sperm are used.

Before in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation of sperm samples is necessary, first of all, as a quarantine for assessing potential infections. Usually such a procedure lasts about six months, but in the case of personal banking of samples for the purpose of planning children in the long term, the storage time is much longer. The main concern of patients is that freezing spermatozoa will make them less viable. A study by scientists from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology refutes this, the online magazine Focus on Reproduction reports.

Scientists analyzed 5335 cycles of intrauterine insemination between 2004 and 2021 and came to the conclusion that frozen sperm is as effective as fresh.

The only difference was a slightly longer period of pregnancy in the group of patients using frozen samples.

"Although certain patients may benefit from the use of fresh samples and the time before pregnancy may be slightly shorter, we want to inform about the equal effectiveness of fresh and frozen samples on the outcomes of conception," commented the author of the work Panagiotis Cheruveim.

The results are especially important for the peace of mind of women planning to use anonymous donor samples, as well as men who have decided to save sperm for family planning in the future.

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