A case of rapid deterioration in sperm quality following spinal cord injury

Abstract

Study design: Case report. Setting: Northwest Regional Spinal Injuries Unit, Southport, UK and Reproductive Medicine Unit, Liverpool Women's Hospital, Liverpool, UK. Case report: A 28-year-old man suffered from paraplegia on sustaining a fall. Fertility preservation was an important aspect of his treatment and electro-ejaculation and cryopreservation of sperm was possible within days of sustaining the fall. The sperm samples obtained subsequently showed a rapid decline in quality. Frozen sperm from the first normal ejaculate obtained soon after the injury was used for assisted reproduction and has resulted in an ongoing pregnancy. Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of collection and freezing of seminal fluid within 2 weeks of spinal cord injury (SCI), or earlier to improve fertility outcomes in spinal cord-injured men, as the clinical stability of the patient may allow. Sponsorship: None. © 2006 International Spinal Cord Society All rights reserved.