Sperm freezing is provided at RAWAL FERTILITY as a method of preserving your fertility for use in future treatment. Some men choose to freeze their sperm for medical reasons, e.g. they have been diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness which is likely to impact their reproductive organs and can prevent them from producing healthy sperm in the future. Other men may wish to consider freezing their sperm if they are about to undergo a vasectomy procedure but may change their mind in future, or they have been diagnosed with a low or a deteriorating quality of sperm

Your sperm sample will need to be produced on our premises so that we can ensure it can be frozen within an hour of production to ensure minimal deterioration. If producing a sample on site is difficult then it can be brought in within an hour of production in a suitable sterile container which we can provide at the clinic.The sample must be produced in a pot given to you by our staff and be labelled with your full name, date of birth and registration number. It must also be accompanied by a completed semen production form. We recommend 2-3 days abstinence (2 or 3 days since ejaculation, i.e. via sexual intercourse or masturbation) to ensure a good sample is available for collection. Men who find it difficult to produce a sample via masturbation can attempt natural intercourse using a spermicidal free non-toxic condom which can be provided by the clinic.

When you decide that you wish to use your sperm, your partner will need to undergo fertility treatment which may include IVF or IUI or, in the event that your sperm is not of optimum quality, you will be offered either ICSI or IMSI treatment. Once your sperm have been thawed they’ll be used in exactly the same way as fresh sperm and as such, have an equal success rate

To ensure the safety of all our stored samples, we need to know if you are a carrier of a viral infection, such as Hepatitis or are infected with HIV.. Following a negative screening test, samples will be kept in designated ‘cleared’ banks. Samples from patients who have not been tested are stored with previously untested samples. There should be minimal concern as samples are stored in closed vials. Not all sperm will survive the freezing and thawing process. We will advise you further if the samples are suboptimal and if multiple samples are necessary for freezing over a period of time.
Our consultant is happy to answer any questions you may have when you visit to consult with us for a Sperm Freezing procedure.

If you are undertaking an IVF cycle, you will be advised of the availability of any excess good quality embryos that can be frozen in preparation for any subsequent treatment. Alternatively, if you are likely to be undergoing medical treatment for cancer or other illness which may affect your fertility in the future, you may choose to create embryos now with your partner, to preserve your fertility ready for use in a future treatment cycle.
Our councellors are always available to discuss the legal implications of consent withdrawal once embryos are frozen and hence may advise patients undergoing fertility preservation for medical reasons to consider freezing part of their gametes as this gives them the sole right of their use in the future.

Cryopreservation of embryos involves removing any water within the cells of the embryo followed by rapidly cooling the embryos to –196ºC and storing them in liquid nitrogen. All cryopreservation at IVF London is performed using vitrification, which has been found to produce higher survival and live birth rates when compared to the alternative methods of freezing (known as ͚slow-freezing͛). Embryo survival can only be assessed upon thawing of the embryo. Not all embryos survive the freezing and thawing process, but on average, over 95% of blastocysts will survive.

If you have requested cryopreservation of your embryos as a stand-alone procedure, you will be required to undertake part of an IVF cycle up to the point of egg collection. Once your eggs are collected and fertilized using IVF/ICSI/IMSI, the embryos would be monitored and frozen at any time between days 3 to 6. Our embryologist will select the best embryos to freeze based on quality.The HFEA allows embryos to be stored for up to ten years initially. This period can be extended in certain circumstances for up to 55 years, in 10 year increments.When you choose to use your frozen embryos, IVF London will prepare for a frozen embryo transfer (FET).