What is Sperm Banking

Also known as semen storage or sperm cryopreservation, sperm banking is a form of collection and storage of semen. Sperm banks are specialized facilities that store human sperm from donors. The stored semen can then be used for achieving pregnancies through the process of artificial insemination. Sperm banks also benefit single women, lesbian couples, and women with infertile male partners.

Who Can Benefit From Sperm Banks?

Women who are not able to conceive due to certain circumstances have a higher chance of having their own children by using sperm banks. Some people struggle with decreased fertility, sterility, or other causes that make it difficult for them to conceive.Cryobanks are specially designed facilities to collect and store semen and offer solutions to male infertility. Such sperm banks also offer andrology laboratory services, which may include frozen donor sperm services, semen analysis, and short-and long-term sperm storage.

• Some men who plan to use sperm in the future can use sperm banks to store their semen.
• A few men who face a surgery, vasectomy, cancer treatment, or problem with low sperm count can use sperm banks to preserve semen as a reproductive option for future use.
• Men with low sperm count can also bank semen and raise their chances of fathering a child in the future. A technique known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection is used for men who have a low sperm count. This involves taking a single sperm and fertilizing it in a test tube along with an egg.
• Other men who work in hazardous occupations that may risk their fertility often use cyrobanks to preserve semen for use in the future. Some men may use it as a financial alternative to donating their semen for money. The semen can then be stored and frozen for use by single parents or infertile couples to help them conceive.

Types of Sperm Banking

Short-term cyrobanking involves storing, freezing of semen for less than a year. The semen can be used for fertility treatment procedures, such as in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination.Long-term semen cryopreservation uses time-tested techniques to store and freeze semen specimens and embryos for an indefinite time in liquid nitrogen. The semen specimens can then be thawed for use later as per the donor’s wish. The semen can be used for conception through fertility treatment techniques.

Cryopreservation Technique

The preservation technique involves mixing the semen specimen with a special solution that protects it during freezing and thawing processes. The semen samples are placed in unique cyro coded plastic vials and frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor. The vials are then immersed in liquid nitrogen solution in secure tanks. The nitrogen solution is regularly checked and each sample is processed individually by licensed clinical lab scientists.