Frequently Asked Questions

What is infertility?
The inability of a couple to achieve a pregnancy after approximately 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse.

What is a sperm cryobank?
A sperm cryobank is a facility that collects, stores and freezes sperm.

What is sperm washing?
The removal of seminal fluid and cellular contaminants such as dead sperm, white blood cells and miscellaneous debris. At Can-Am Cryo Services a two-layered gradient centrifugation system is used to yield a washed sample that contains predominantly motile sperm.

What is cryopreservation?
Cryopreservation involves cooling and storing cells in a frozen state at an extremely low temperature that allows them a higher likelihood of surviving when thawed.

How is the sperm actually frozen?
Frozen sperm must be stored in extremely cold temperatures (minus 196 C in liquid nitrogen), the freezing process is gradual to ensure that the fewest possible sperm are damaged.

Is there a minimum quantity of sperm that is worthwhile freezing?
No. With the different advanced reproductive technologies available, a thawed specimen with even a few motile sperm can be used to successfully initiate a pregnancy.

How long can you effectively keep my frozen sperm?
Sperm can be frozen indefinitely. There have been normal pregnancies from sperm stored frozen for up to 20 years.

How do I know that my specimen will not be confused or mixed up with that from someone else?
Each specimen container is colour coded and assigned a five digit number. only one specimen is frozen at a time to guarantee that there is no confusion. Each vial is labled with the five digit number ,the patient's name and date.

Are donor sperm samples tested for HIV?
Current sperm banking standards call for initial and interval testing for AIDS, Syphillis, and Hepatitis B and C. Donors are also tested for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia and undergo a battery of other tests.

Why isn't fresh sperm available anymore at most sperm banks?
The semen from a donor could be infectious for a disease such as AIDS or Hepatitis at the time of its donation, and several months could pass before any tests or symptoms would reveal its presence. Most sperm banks freeze and quarantine the sperm for about six months while the donor undergoes repeated testing for these diseases. Specimens are only released when tests have remained negative for at least 180 days since the donation.

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