Building your family through surrogacy means learning the ins and outs of embryo creation, and that includes gamete donation. It can be a complex subject, so you likely have a few questions about how all of it works exactly. That’s why we’re here to help you out.
If you would like to begin filling out your surrogacy planning questionnaire, then contact us online today to get a head start on your surrogacy process. While you wait for your embryos to be prepared, we can help you fill this out so that you’re ready to go as soon as possible.
Can You Store Frozen Sperm at Home?
No, you cannot store frozen sperm at home. Sperm needs to be frozen at a very specific, low temperature, and it must be done in a lab with the appropriate controls in place. Most home freezers do not get cold enough, and the environment is unpredictable.
You can collect the sperm at home, but then you must overnight ship it to your lab or sperm bank of choice. It is always best for the sperm to be housed in a professional facility designed for it.
How Cold Is Frozen Human Sperm Kept Stored?
Sperm needs to be frozen at a constant temperature of -320.8 degrees Fahrenheit or -196 degrees Celsius. All donors’ sperm is often separated into different vials and contained in various storage tanks. This means that, if one of the freezers fails, other sperm cells are guaranteed to be safe. Think of it as not putting all of your eggs, or in this case, sperm, in one basket.
When it comes time to use the sperm, specialists at the lab will thaw it until it’s at room temp. From that point, medical personnel will observe the sample to ensure there are active sperm that can be used for the surrogacy process.
How Long Can Frozen Sperm Be Stored?
Theoretically speaking, sperm can remain frozen for as long as you need, granted that it is stored inside liquid nitrogen. Because cryopreservation technology has made so many advances, sperm can now be stored for an indefinite period of time as long as the sperm bank meets all the proper storing conditions.
In short, if the sperm is a high-quality sample and is contained in liquid nitrogen, it can be stored for as long as you need it to be.
How Much Does It Cost to Store Frozen Sperm?
On occasion, your insurance may cover the costs of freezing sperm, but that’s solely if your reason for choosing surrogacy is medical. If your insurance won’t cover it, though, then you can expect it to cost less than $1,000 for the first year, including the required freezing and testing processes.
After the first year of storage, the annual fee could be somewhere between $150 and $300. Keep in mind that the cost to store frozen sperm will always depend on the specific bank that you choose to work with.
How Is Frozen Sperm Thawed and Used?
Frozen sperm is usually thawed in a lab until it reaches room temperature. Once it has properly thawed, the lab's staff will then analyze the sample to make sure that it still contains active sperm. From that point, the sperm is treated as fresh sperm and inserted into the surrogate using itrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF).
You can reach out to us at any time to get a head start on your surrogacy process and fill out your surrogacy planning questionnaire. We’ll help you fill this out as you wait for the embryos to be created.