Male Fertility

We offer patients the option of either producing their sample off site (providing certain criteria are met) or at our clinic in Hove. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this further.

Screening requirements

You will be required to have screening prior to your first freeze appointment to ensure that the samples are stored safely and in line with current legislation. All screening must be dated within 3 months of your first freeze. Screening is charged separately if performed at Sussex Sperm Bank.

HFEA requirements

You are required to complete consent forms prior to freezing any semen samples. Our governing body, the HFEA, has consent forms that allow you to store samples for up to 55 years. Please be aware that if you intend to store for the maximum storage period, you must update your consent forms every 10 years to ensure that we can continue to store your samples. If at any point your circumstances change, the consent forms will need to be updated to reflect this. This includes any changes to (but not limited to) your personal details, details of your partner for intended treatment (if applicable) or any conditions you have placed on the use of your samples.

If you have samples in storage and no longer wish to keep them, a withdrawal consent form must be completed. You can then choose for the samples to be either destroyed, donated or used for training purposes.

Freezing process

Once screening and consent forms are in place, you can begin the freezing process. The number of freeze appointments will depend on your individual needs and can be discussed following your initial semen analysis. Each ejaculate will be analysed, frozen and then stored securely. Semen analysis reports for each sample will be available upon request. We recommend 2-5 days abstinence for each appointment. If you are freezing consecutively over a shorter timeframe, we recommend 48 hours between appointments.  All samples for freezing must be produced on-site.

Storage periods

You may wish to freeze samples to preserve your fertility and store these long-term for use in the future. This option is for patients who are having treatment or procedures that may negatively impact their fertility. The storage period you choose allows you to store your samples for up to 55 years, in line with HFEA legislation.

You may wish to freeze samples as a short-term solution for use in your fertility treatment at another centre. This option is for patients that may be required to freeze samples prior to treatment as a back-up or looking for reassurance that samples are in storage should they need them.

Transport of samples

The semen samples you have in storage can be transported to other HFEA-licensed centres or to treatment centres abroad (providing the centre accepts samples frozen under UK legislation and we can form an agreement). Please contact us to discuss your individual needs further to confirm if this is possible.

Emergency cryopreservation

In some cases, such as for those patients who require emergency surgeries, we may be able to offer emergency cryopreservation. This means that samples are frozen in quick succession and can be stored whilst we are waiting for any screening results. Please contact us if you wish to discuss this further as this is dependent on the specific circumstances.

• Information and FAQs – doc link (Patient Information – Semen Cryopreservation)
• HFEA Website – Information for sperm freezing patients: https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/fertility-preservation/sperm-freezing/