Fast-Freeze May Help Sperm Survive Storage, Study Finds TUESDAY
Sept. 14, 2010 -- Researchers say they have developed a new and
better method of freezing human sperm for later use in pregnancy
attempts. The new technique could potentially improve in vitro
fertilization treatment and perhaps make it possible for HIV-
positive men to donate sperm safely, the researchers say. The
freezing approach used in the study is already used for embryos
and eggs, "and this is the next step, so it is logical," said
Dr. Ian Cooke, emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology
at the University of Sheffield in England, who is familiar with
the study. "Any improvements in sperm freezing would be
welcome," said Mathew Tomlinson, a fertility specialist and
scientist at Nottingham University Hospitals in England. "We can
store sperm for many years, but only 25 to 30 percent of sperm
survive from even the best samples," said Tomlinson. Among
cancer patients who want their sperm stored before they undergo
chemotherapy, as little a