Sperm Cryopreservation Methods

Abstract

There are multiple clinical situations where cryopreservation of sperm is required including sperm banking prior to chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer, donor sperm for couples without a male partner, and various etiologies of male factor infertility. Bunge and Sherman presented the first pregnancy resulting from the thawing of cryopreserved sperm in 1953 (Bunge RJ, Nature 172:767-768, 1953). Since that time, cryopreservation techniques have continued to improve. Here, we describe protocols for the cryopreservation and thawing of semen and testicular tissues using a simple liquid nitrogen vapor technique.