A post-thaw analysis is a test in which a small portion of your pre-analyzed sperm sample is frozen, thawed, and reanalyzed, to assess how well it will survive cryopreservation. Post-thaw analysis gives the best estimate of how many motile sperm you\u2019ll have when using your frozen sperm sample in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A post-thaw analysis is a test that can assess how well your sperm<\/a> will survive cryopreservation<\/a> (freezing). The test involves freezing a small sample of your sperm, then thawing it to ensure that a sufficient number of healthy sperm are still present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This evaluation is important because not every sperm cell will make it through cryopreservation and thaw, resulting in potentially fewer sperm being available for use in assisted reproductive techniques<\/a>. A post-thaw analysis gives you a realistic estimate of how many sperm you\u2019ll have after they\u2019re thawed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Studies<\/a> have shown that between 82% and 85% of sperm generally survive thawing after up to 10 years of storage. Research<\/a> has also found that freezing and thawing reduced sperm motility<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a semen analysis<\/a>, the sample is frozen. A cryoprotectant is added to the sperm to help preserve them during the freezing process, then the mixture is placed in cryovials, cooled, then frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196\u00baC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the post-thaw analysis, a small sample of the sperm will be thawed at 37\u00baC, then undergo a second semen analysis to check for remaining sperm count<\/a> and motility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fertile men typically release at least 39 million<\/a> sperm per ejaculation, and a minimum of 10 million sperm is recommended to achieve a pregnancy through intrauterine insemination<\/a>. It\u2019s likely that sperm from people with normal semen<\/a> parameters will be sufficient for fertility treatments, even after cryopreservation and thaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\nProcess of a post-thaw analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What a post-thaw analysis can tell us about male fertility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n