Frequently asked questions

How long can my sperm stay frozen?

Sperm freezing

Trying to conceive

As long as sperm is kept frozen in a high quality cryogenic lab like Legacy’s, it can be stored indefinitely with no significant impact on its quality or the chances that it will result in a healthy pregnancy. That means you can keep your sperm frozen until you’re ready to start a family.

How many vials of sperm should I freeze before starting hormone therapy?

Gender transition

Short answer: as many as you can afford. But the ideal number of samples to store also depends on your future plans. A few questions you might consider:

Do you plan to or hope to get bottom surgery? If yes, you may want to freeze more sperm, since you won’t have the option to recover your fertility.
Do you want one child, multiple children, or maybe you’re not sure you want kids at all? How much sperm you should freeze will change depending on family size and how certain you are that you want biological children in the future.

Generally speaking, one vial of sperm is used in each IUI or IVF procedure.

1 semen sample = 4 vials of frozen sperm
1 vial of frozen sperm = 1 IUI or IVF procedure

IUI pregnancy rates range from 10–25% per cycle; IVF success rates range from 5–50% per cycle. So, you may need multiple attempts to achieve pregnancy.

How does gender-affirming surgery, such as vaginoplasty or vulvoplasty, affect fertility?

Gender transition

Gender-affirming surgery for trans women typically includes orchiectomy, the removal of the testes. Orchiectomy will result in irreversible, total sterility.

If you plan to undergo vaginoplasty, vulvoplasty, or orchiectomy and may want a biological child in the future, we highly recommend freezing at least 3 semen samples to maximize the chances of creating a healthy pregnancy.

I already started hormone therapy. Is it too late to freeze my sperm?

Gender transition

Not necessarily. It takes time for your hormone therapy to affect your fertility. Additionally, hormone therapy affects each person differently. After taking gender-affirming hormones for months or years, you may still produce some sperm. The quantity and quality of sperm may deteriorate progressively the longer you’ve been taking HRT.

If you’re already taking hormone therapy, we recommend starting with a semen analysis. This test will assess the quality of your semen and determine whether your sample is viable for freezing.

If you do a semen analysis with Legacy and have viable sperm, you can upgrade your purchase to include freezing, and freeze that sample immediately.

If you don’t have viable sperm, you can consider pausing your hormone therapy for 3–6 months to see if sperm production resumes before continuing with the fertility preservation process.

When should I freeze my sperm before hormone therapy?

Gender transition

We recommend freezing sperm before starting hormone therapy, in order to freeze the highest quality of sperm possible. The higher the quantity and quality of sperm, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to create a pregnancy with that sperm in the future.

However, we know this isn’t always possible, and that in many cases, people will begin hormone therapy prior to exploring fertility preservation. It may still be possible to freeze sperm even after starting GAHT/HRT. We recommend a semen analysis to assess fertility before freezing.

Will my fertility return if I stop taking estrogen or T-blockers?

Gender transition

Maybe. The “sperm cycle” — how long it takes to produce new sperm — is about 3 months, so you will likely have to pause hormone therapy for at least this long in order to recover fertility. One study found that within 6 months of stopping estrogen therapy, 67% of subjects regained a normal sperm count. That means about 1 of every 3 trans women may be unable to recover their fertility after beginning a medical transition.

How does gender-affirming hormone therapy affect fertility?

Gender transition

Gender-affirming hormone therapy, including estrogen and androgen-blockers (also known as “T-blockers”), is likely to impair or even halt sperm production.

The effect seems to be dose-dependent. In one study, researchers found that low-dose estrogen therapy had no impact on sperm concentration or motility, while a higher-dose regimen resulted in reduced sperm motility after just a few days and reduced sperm concentration after 2 weeks.

Can trans women use Legacy to freeze their sperm?

Gender transition

Yes! Anyone who produces sperm can use Legacy for sperm freezing. At-home sample collection is a more accessible, comfortable, and affordable option for sperm freezing.

Will Legacy use my name and pronouns?

Gender transition

Yes. We must use your legal name on your contracts and paperwork. However, we’ll ask for — and use — a preferred name during onboarding, on your client dashboard and in all client services communications. We want every client to feel as comfortable as possible during this process.

I have sperm frozen with Legacy. Will Legacy ever sell, donate, or share this frozen sperm?

Process & kit components

No. Your frozen sperm remains your property, under your control, for future use only by you or an authorized user. If you choose to move forward with sperm donation, you will be asked to produce new additional samples.

Can I choose which sperm bank I’m referred to?

We’ll pair your responses with your Legacy semen analysis results to evaluate our eligibility. If you qualify, we’ll securely share your contact information with a participating sperm bank near you.

What happens after I submit the questionnaire?

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How long does the questionnaire take to complete?

Most clients complete the questionnaire in under 5 minutes.

Can I use frozen sperm for IUI, IVF or ICSI?

Process & kit components

Yes, you can use frozen sperm for intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). If you’re doing a fertility treatment cycle, having a healthy frozen sperm sample on hand can be an important back-up plan.

Should I freeze my sperm prior to my vasectomy?

Vasectomy & vasectomy reversal

Getting a vasectomy is a big (and final) decision. Although vasectomy reversal is an option should circumstances change, it is expensive and not often effective. Sperm freezing before getting a vasectomy is the best way for individuals and couples to keep their options open. Learn more about sperm freezing before vasectomy.

How important is sperm morphology to my overall fertility?

Sperm testing

Sperm morphology (shape) is an important marker of fertility because sperm need to be a certain shape to penetrate and fertilize an egg. Having a higher number of abnormally shaped sperm is associated with infertility. However, even those with 0% normal morphology have conceived without medical assistance. The most important factor when assessing a person's chance of conceiving is their total motile sperm count (TMSC), the number of sperm in their sample that are moving or "swimming."

Should I test my sperm post vasectomy?

Vasectomy & vasectomy reversal

Yes, you should do a semen analysis to check if a vasectomy has been successful, typically 12–16 weeks after the procedure (follow your doctor's instructions). Legacy's standard semen analysis is a good option for post-vasectomy testing.

Should I test my sperm after a vasectomy reversal?

Vasectomy & vasectomy reversal

Yes. It can take 6–12 months for sperm production to resume after a reversal. For this reason, experts recommend that you test regularly for 1–2 years after the procedure to ensure sperm health is recovering. Legacy's standard semen analysis is an easy way to check whether a vasectomy reversal was effective.

What is my ClientID? Where can I find it?

Troubleshooting

When your order is approved, you're automatically assigned a randomized 6-digit client ID that travels with your sample. This keeps your name and identifying information anonymous.

You will recieve your client ID via email. If you haven't seen these emails in your inbox, check your Spam or Promotions folders. You can also find your ClientID by signing in to your client dashboard.

I'm trying to conceive. When should I test my sperm?

Trying to conceive

It's a good idea to test your sperm before you start trying to conceive — although anytime is a good time. Our standard semen analysis tests for the main parameters of sperm health (count, concentration, motility, morphology, and semen volume). Sperm testing can identify factors that may make conception difficult, and can reduce the time to pregnancy.

If you are over 35, planning IUI or IVF, or have a history of pregnancy loss, we recommend semen analysis plus sperm DNA fragmentation, a test that measures percentage of sperm that contain damaged DNA.

I sent my kit back without registering it. What should I do?

Process & kit components

The kit registration process collects necessary information about your sample, and the lab cannot process your sample without these details. If you sent your kit back with registering it, please email clientservices@givelegacy.com, or call us at 617-514-0901 as soon as possible to avoid delays or kit rejection.

Should I refrigerate my sperm sample while waiting for pick-up or drop-off?

Process & kit components

Troubleshooting

Do not refrigerate your sample.

How do I set up my client dashboard?

Process & kit components

Troubleshooting

When you place an order with us, you will receive an email confirmation containing a link to set up a password for your client dashboard. The client dashboard is where you can access details about your purchase, your test results, and more.

If you've misplaced that email, don't worry: You can still access your portal. Go to the client dashboard and select "Don't remember your password?" Then, input the email address you used when placing the order. An email with a reset link should appear in your inbox within 5 minutes; you can also check your Spam or Promotions folders. If that doesn't work, email clientservices@givelegacy.com or call us at 617-514-0901. The email address you use to reset your password should be an exact match, or you might not receive that reset link.

My sample was not picked up. What should I do?

Troubleshooting

If no one arrived during the scheduled window to pick up your sample, please let the Legacy team know as soon as possible. They will follow up with the shipping carrier on your behalf. Email clientservices@givelegacy.com or call 617-514-0901.

In the meantime, you may drop off your kit at a participating shipping location. You must return your kit to the same shipping partner that delivered it (i.e. FedEx, if it was delivered by FedEx, or UPS, if it was delivered by UPS).

I placed my order, but I haven't received a confirmation email.

Troubleshooting

You should receive a welcome email soon after placing your order. If you haven't heard from us more than 24 hours after you've placed an order, check your spam or promotions folders. To ensure you see future emails from Legacy, add us as a trusted contact or drag our emails to your primary inbox.If you haven't received a welcome email, please reach out to us at clientservices@givelegacy.com or 617-514-0901.

Frequently asked questions

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