Frozen semen can be stored for as long as 50 years without additional sperm deterioration beyond that caused by the original freezing process.
Can you get fresh sperm from a sperm bank?
Using Fresh Donor Sperm FDA regulations provide the option to use freshly collected donor sperm, but in that situation, the known donor is required to have the complete set of infectious disease testing done within seven (7) days of collection of the semen specimen that is being used.
What happens to sperm in a sperm bank?
The sperm is frozen and quarantined, usually for a period of six months, and the donor is re-tested prior to the sperm being used for artificial insemination. The frozen vials will then be sold directly to a recipient or through a medical practitioner or fertility center and they will be used in fertility treatments.
How do sperm banks keep sperm alive?
The vials are gradually cooled using liquid nitrogen vapor until they reach about -175 degrees Celsius. Later, vials are moved into liquid nitrogen (LN2) tanks for long-term storage at -196 degrees Celsius.
How is sperm kept in a sperm bank?
After the sample has been processed for cryoprotection, the sperm is stored in small vials or straws holding between 0.4 and 1.0 ml of sperm and then cryogenically preserved in liquid nitrogen tanks.