Sperm & Embryo Freezing & Storage (Cryopreservation)
|
|
Embryologist freezing sperm and embryos for storage in laboratory
|
|
|
Embryo Vitrification under liquid nitrogen
|
We offer short-term storage of sperm specimens as long as the female partner remains our patient. Cryopreservation of sperm is ideal for men with poor sperm counts who may need a back-up sample stored; men who wish to store a sample before beginning cancer treatment and in cases where the man may not be in town or has difficulties at the time of fertility treatment, such as OPU (Ovum Pick Up).
Similar to Semen Analysis, patients are advised to abstain for 3 - 5 days. Specimen can be collected at home or at our clinic. If you are collecting specimen from home, you are advised to bring the specimen to our laboratory in an hour. Pictures below illustrates specimen being frozen in liquid nitrogen.
Cryopreservation provides the option for future IVF treatments. It is also recommended if you are facing medical treatment, such as cancer that may affect your fertility.
Surgical sperm aspiration and extraction – MESA/ TESE and PESA/ TESA
These procedures are used for men are dignosed with azoospermia ( no sperm ) because of a blockage or an absence of the vas deferens (the tube which leads from the testis).
These procedures involved microsurgery and is performed under general or local anaesthetic by experienced doctor. A small fraction of the testicular tissue is removed during the surgery and sperm cells will be extracted from the tissue. A good amount of sperm collected from the tissue can be used fresh for Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) on the same day or it can be frozen and then thawed and used later.
Donor Programme
Many couples are able to use their own sperm and eggs in their treatment, but others need to use donated sperm or donated eggs or even donated embryos, to help them achieve that dream.
Egg Donation
Egg donation is an effective treatment for infertility except in women with a severe uterine problem, such as extensive intrauterine adhesions. Egg donation is also a possible solution for women who goes through IVF but her ovaries fail to produce eggs and for women who have multiple unexplained miscarriages.
Sperm Donation
Sperm donation can be used as an effective treatment for male factor infertility. In some cases, an attempt of treatment to extract sperm directly from the testicles under surgical sperm aspiration or extraction procedure is not successful. Donor Sperm is an option for male infertility. The process of collection and preparation of donor sperm is the same as in the IVF.