Frozen sperm works just as well as fresh when trying to make test-tube babies for infertile couples according to recent research, a finding that should take some of the pressure off would-be fathers. Men do not necessarily have to produce fresh sperm on demand to fertilize their partners' eggs for in vitro fertilization. This data supports the continued and expanded use of frozen sperm for IVF. According to researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, IVF can be a physically, financially and emotionally draining process for couples, and use of frozen sperm eliminates the pressure of obtaining sperm on a specific day and unnecessary risk to the woman due to ovarian hyperstimulation. The Mayo team reviewed 2,039 attempts at IVF, in which egg and sperm are allowed to join in a lab dish and the resulting embryos are transferred into the woman. They measured both the pregnancy rate and successful live births and found no differences.
American Urological Association ,
May 2004