Does Cold Semen Affect Fertility?

Update Date: 2024-05-18 Source: Network

Freezing sperm may reduce sperm motility but does not affect pregnancy

I. Does frozen sperm affect pregnancy? After 15 years of cryopreservation, the survival rate of frozen and thawed sperm decreased from 85.72% to 73.98%. In other words, cryopreservation for more than 5 years has a negative impact on the quality of frozen-thawed sperm samples. The clinical pregnancy rates of women undergoing artificial insemination in the three groups were 23.09%, 22.36%, and 22.32%, respectively. The clinical abortion rates were 10.06%, 10.02%, and 12.00%, respectively, and the live birth rates were 82.17%, 80.21%, and 80.00%, respectively. The clinical pregnancy rates of women undergoing IVF in the 0.5-5 years group, 6-10 years group, and 11-15 years group were 64.29%, 64.94%, and 53.48%, respectively. The clinical abortion rates were 12.26%, 11.38%, and 17.39%, respectively, and the live birth rates were 81.63%, 79.11%, and 73.91%, respectively. As can be seen from the above data, although the sperm motility has decreased, the probability of pregnancy has not been greatly affected. Therefore, long-term cryopreservation of semen in human sperm banks will not affect clinical outcomes.

II. Applicable population for frozen sperm

1. Those receiving assisted reproductive treatment who have difficulty in retrieving sperm on the day of ovulation or oocyte retrieval by the female partner, or those who have fertility plans during the period of separation.

2. Patients with ejaculatory dysfunction can receive non-invasive electrical stimulation for sperm retrieval combined with semen cryopreservation, rather than directly using testicular or epididymal aspiration for sperm retrieval.

3. Patients with obstructive azoospermia can freeze the epididymal fluid during diagnostic aspiration to avoid repeated invasive procedures.

4. Some patients with oligospermia or asthenospermia, especially those with a progressive decline in semen quantity and quality, to avoid the risk of future azoospermia.

5. Some couples who plan to use vasectomy for contraception can freeze their semen before the vasectomy surgery to increase the chances of future fertility.

6. Some professionals in occupations that may affect fertility.