Is it possible to (cheaply) freeze sperm?

Speak to a reproduction doctor. Different doctors have different agreements with companies for holding onto the sperm. Best bet is to call around and find out what the cost would be for the retrieval and storage.

And wouldn’t there be an issue of proper sterilization and storage conditions? I don’t think the do-it-yourself-and-stick-in-your-freezer method is a good idea.

And aren’t there legal ramifications? Who is entitled to use them? The open market or only designated women?

I don’t believe so – you need specific technology to keep it quite frozen (not just freezer frozen) and that kind of technology is monopolized by companies that will make you pay.

@gailcalled Yes, there are. When he talks to them about it, they will draw up a contract about what the sperm can and can’t be used for. It is also the best idea for him to include what is to happen to his sperm in his will for when he dies.

Here is one lab that does it. They have their fees listed on the site.

Liquid nitrogen. Research cryogenics.

The costs are not that great:

Specimen Storage per patient – Cost per month $70
Specimen Storage – Cost 6 months $200
Specimen Storage – Cost 1 year $350

Source

@marinelife That’s just the cost for the storage. You also have to pay for the freezing and then preparation for use when you are ready to have it thawed.

Those numbers seem high. I keep my embryos frozen for $200 a year.

@Jleslie would you mind pointing me in the right direction?

@JonnyCeltics I am not sure if I can be of help. My embryos are kept at an Reproductive Endocrinologists office/lab. They work with women who have fertility problems and are the ones who generally do IVF procedures. Where I live now the urologists (who would take care of the men) work side by side with the RE clinic here. So if a man is having a problem all of the testing on his semen would be done over at the RE’s office. In St. Louis I know the set up in Dr. Silber’s office (he takes care of the men) is he is in charge of the lab that does all of the freezing, and he works with a GYN to take care of the any evaluation and procedures a woman needs. So it varies a lot around the country. Oncologists would probably also know where you can freeze semen, and of course places that women go to to buy semen if they are single and want a baby would have the facilities for such a thing.

If I were you I would probably start with a urologist to get information. Maybe you can call their office and ask where the doctors there send people for semen testing, and then call that facility and see what their services are. If they cannot help you, I think they will know who can.

You can have your sperm collected at a fertility clinic, then have it frozen in tubes for indefinite storage. Depending on where you live, the costs differ. It’s $500 a year for me where I live.