Do you need to undergo sperm cryopreservation? It’s not a requirement, but this procedure will help you if you’re at risk of becoming sterile. That is if you’re set to undergo chemo or radiation therapies, vasectomy, involved in high-risk occupations, or anything that may cause infertility.
How? If your sperm is frozen and stored prior to you becoming sterile, you can use your preserved cells to “produce” kids through artificial reproduction like in vitro fertilization.
Planning to preserve your cells for future use? Then you’ll need to know how much does sperm cryopreservation cost.
Average Cost to Freeze Sperm
How much are you willing to spend to freeze your sperm? It appears that you might have to prepare up to US$1,000 and above for the whole process. By whole, we mean from the consultation to storage.
Breaking it down, the initial consultation will cost you about US$100 to US$150. Next, you’ll have to undergo a test for STD which costs US$150 to US$200. After that, they will freeze your sperm costing you another US$150 to US$200.
Finally, you’ll need to pay for the sperm bank to store your samples. The cost per year may vary depending on how long you want to store your cells. For instance, a one-year storage of 6 samples amounts to US$300 to US$600.
Freezing Sperm Price Per Bank
Comparing the sperm cryopreservation cost charged by each sperm bank will help you get a good grasp of price ranges. There is only a slight difference in the prices, but knowing the details will help you understand why freezing your sperm could cost as high as a thousand dollars.
Let’s take for example Fair Fax Cryo Bank. The cost for their laboratory services includes the initial visit consultation which costs US$150, blood panel or minimum infectious disease testing which costs US$140, and semen specimen analysis, prewashed process and freeze which cost US$460 per specimen.
As for the storage fee, a month will cost you US$40, 6 months US$200, a year US$395, 2 years US$670, 3 years US$985, 5 years US$1,340, and 10 years US$2,400 (regardless of the number of vials).
Say, if you want to store a single specimen for a year, this bank will charge you US$1,145 for the whole process.
Sperm Bank of California, on the other hand, has placed the initial appointment cost to US$1,000 to US$1,200. The price includes account setup, consultation and lab processing which cost US$450, blood draw which costs US$300, and an annual storage fee of US$250 for one specimen and US$450 for multiple specimens.
Additional Costs and Price Variations
The freezing sperm price mentioned earlier falls within the thousand-dollar average. However, sperm banks offer other services that may add up to the cost.
For instance, Fair Fax offers a mail-in sperm banking kit for depositors. A kit that includes only shipping and handling will cost you US$65 each while the one that includes semen preparation amounts to US$340. They also charge US$45 for the release of a specimen.
As for Sperm Bank California, the cost changes if the donor of the specimen intends to donate his cells to a recipient other than his partner or spouse. If you plan on doing this, you will spend US$1,900 for the initial appointment. The fees include admin and lab account setup which cost US$850, blood testing and urine culture which costs US$600, and the first year of storage which costs US$450.
Aside from the average cost to freeze sperm, you will also pay for ongoing and additional fees including return appointments for additional vial deposits which cost US$275, exit blood draw which costs US$600, semen analysis and test thaw to assess sperm survival costing US$275, and retrieval of vials which costs US$75.
Furthermore, if you want to send vials to the sperm bank for storage, you’ll have to pay a total of US$700 for the initial fee, US$450 for ongoing annual storage (which is billed after the first 12 months), and US$75 for the retrieval of vials.
Another sperm bank, New York CRYO, charges a lab process fee of US$350 if the depositor is alone and US$650 if the directed donor and recipient is together during the initial consultation. The bank will then charge another US$475 for a comprehensive semen analysis. You will also have to pay US$275 for each additional specimen you want them to process.
Aside from knowing these prices, you could also check around your area. If there’s a sperm bank in your place, you can personally visit them or call them to know how much they charge for laboratory and storage fees. Or you can visit their websites to see their price lists.
What to Expect During the Process
What happens when you submit yourself to sperm cryopreservation? When you enter the laboratory to undergo the said process, your clinician will explain it to you and will ask you to give a written consent for them to store your cells.
You would also fill out consent forms through which you can indicate what will happen to your sperm should you become unable to make decisions for yourself or die. You could specify how long you want them to store your specimen or identify to whom you want to donate your sperm. Furthermore, you may also want to indicate that you want to be the father of any child born using your cells.
You can change or withdraw your consent any time as long as your samples are not yet used. Also, if you still have a sound mind or you’re still alive.
Preserving Your Sperm
As said earlier, it’s not a requirement for men to preserve their sperm. If you’re not at risk of becoming sterile, there seems to be no point in freezing your cells, right?
However, if you want to aid couples or individuals to have kids, donating your sperm will be worth the try. Aside from that, you can also contribute your cells to scientific research and advancements. Cool, isn’t it?
Whatever your purpose, sperm cryopreservation will not cause you any harm. Moreover, you might also be able to confirm or check your health condition in the process. Just prepare around US$1,000 and you’re good to go.