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Cryopreserving and storing sperm, eggs, and/or embryos are efficient and reliable ways to preserve one’s fertility for family building down the road. Sperm banking is a fertility preservation procedure that has undergone important advances since the first births using frozen sperm occurred in the early 1950s. Egg freezing, AKA oocyte freezing, is a reproductive advancement where a patient’s eggs are extracted, frozen, and stored to preserve their fertility for a future date. Embryo freezing or embryo cryopreservation is another form of fertility preservation that involves freezing a fertilized egg that has been united with sperm during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure.

What Is Sperm Banking?

Sperm cryopreservation, or sperm banking, is the process of freezing sperm at extremely low temperatures for future use. The frozen sperm can be stored indefinitely until ready for use in a fertility procedure, such as in insemination (intracervical insemination (ICI) or intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF).  At Fairfax Cryobank, you can store sperm at any of our 7 convenient locations. If you’re unable to travel to one of our facilities for banking, Fairfax Cryobank offers a Sperm Freezing Kit, where you can ship a fresh specimen to us from anywhere in the United States.

Why Do People Store Sperm?

People may choose to store their sperm for a variety of social or medical reasons. The most common situations for individuals to store their sperm are prior to medical treatments that will affect fertility (such as cancer treatment), before urological surgery, before beginning gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), or to preserve fertility prior to a vasectomy. People can also store their sperm if they’re active military duty or travel frequently and need to bank sperm for an IVF procedure.  

Freezing sperm is safe and effective and the stored specimens will remain viable for an indefinite amount of time. Pregnancies have been reported for cases where the sperm has been stored for 20 years prior to thawing and insemination.

The Cost of Sperm Banking

Insurance may cover the cost of sperm banking when it is medically necessary or depending on the plan and state. Sperm banking costs vary across clinics but generally range between $300 and under $1000 per year. The fees for sperm banking at Fairfax Cryobank include $150 for the initial consultation and $350 for the semen specimen evaluation, standard processing, and freeze. There are multiple storage options including monthly, yearly, 2-year, 5-year and 10-year terms with the monthly option being  $45 per month using the convenient autopayment method.

Why Do People Freeze Eggs?

Women reach peak fertility at around age 30 and are born with all the eggs they will have in a lifetime. Pregnancy success rates are more dependent on the age of the eggs and not the uterus, so some individuals will have their eggs retrieved and frozen at an earlier age for future use later in life. More and more people are preserving fertility through egg freezing without the pressure to have kids immediately.

People may also choose to preserve their eggs due to cancers that require chemotherapy or radiation which may affect their fertility. Individuals with ovarian disease or chromosomal abnormalities or require removal of their ovaries may choose to preserve their eggs prior to the surgery. Lastly, Individuals may opt for egg freezing if they have a family history of early menopause.

What Is the Procedure for Freezing Eggs?

Egg freezing typically begins with assessing the individual’s ovarian reserve or their total number of eggs and the quality of the eggs. The assessment can also include a blood test and pelvic exam. Next, a fertility doctor will prescribe injectable hormonal medications to stimulate the ovaries, encouraging them to grow multiple eggs which will develop and mature. The hormonal medications are usually administered for 10-12 days until the mature eggs are retrieved by a doctor.

The eggs are flash-frozen in a process called vitrification, which is considered the most effective method because it minimizes the formation of ice crystals which may damage the eggs during the freezing and thawing process. The cryopreserved eggs are then stored in liquid nitrogen in securely monitored tanks at a temperature of -196° C (-320 degrees F).

How Many Eggs Survive the Egg-Freezing Process?

The eggs that survive the freezing and thawing process are estimated to be between 90-97%. The percentage of frozen and thawed eggs that go on to be fertilized is approximately 71-79%, with an implantation rate estimated at 17-41%. Although pregnancy rates decline with advanced maternal age, the clinical pregnancy rate with frozen thawed eggs averages 4.5 – 12%.

There’s no limit to how long someone can store their frozen eggs if the eggs are properly maintained and stored at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. When someone is ready to use frozen eggs, they are carefully thawed in a highly controlled environment and fertilized to create embryos.

The Cost of Egg Freezing

Egg freezing can cost $10,000-$15,000 per cycle. The cost of egg storage is sometimes covered by insurance, but it’s usually seen as an elective procedure, depending on your state. Paying for egg freezing typically covers the total cost, including the initial assessment, hormonal injections, egg retrieval, and storage. Storage fees can cost up to $1000 per year. Fairfax Cryobank charges $425 per year for oocyte storage and has additional storage term options available. Our storage fees and options can be found here.

Embryo Freezing

Why Do People Freeze Embryos?

Freezing embryos is commonly completed in couples who are undergoing an IVF procedure and have created excess embryos. The frozen embryos can be thawed for an additional embryo transfer procedure if the first IVF cycle was unsuccessful or be stored and used later for future pregnancies.  

What Is the Procedure for Freezing an Embryo?

When people choose to freeze embryos, the beginning of the process is just like egg freezing: the person undergoes hormonal injections for ovarian stimulation followed by egg retrieval. The eggs are then placed with sperm in a controlled environment to create the embryos. While eggs are frozen immediately after determining their maturity, embryos are frozen the day or up to a week after retrieval and fertilization.

Success Rates for Embryo Freezing

Over 95% of frozen embryos survive the thaw process. Clinical pregnancy success rates can depend on maternal age, but they are generally between 40-60%. Embryo freezing offers higher pregnancy success rates than egg freezing.

When someone is ready to use a frozen embryo, a doctor will implant one to two directly into the uterus. A blood test can confirm a pregnancy ten days after the transfer. You can freeze embryos for up to 10 years, though there are reports of pregnancies from frozen embryos over ten years. Most people use frozen embryos within five years.

What is the Cost of Freezing Embryos?

Insurance may cover the cost of embryo storage, depending on the plan and state, though it’s usually seen as an elective procedure. The cost of a frozen embryo transfer covers the initial assessment, any testing, hormonal medication, egg retrieval, and storage. Fairfax Cryobank charges $425 per year for oocyte storage and has additional storage term options available. Our storage fees and options can be found here.

Why Choose Fairfax Cryobank for Your Sperm, Egg, and Embryo Storage Needs

Fairfax Cryobank and its affiliated fertility clinic, Genetics and IVF Institute, has been storing frozen sperm, eggs, and embryos for more than 35 years and has extensive expertise in cryopreserving, storing, and transporting frozen specimens. Our storage facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art alarm systems and storage tanks are set up with temperature and liquid nitrogen level monitoring to provide continuous preservation of your stored reproductive specimens. Our vast experience and seven convenient facilities located throughout the country ensure the safekeeping of your embryos, oocytes, and sperm.