Fairfax, VA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/11/2013 -- Semen is commonly stored for several reasons including impending cancer treatment, military deployment, planned vasectomy or delayed family planning. The question of how long sperm can be stored and still be viable is sometimes a concern for clients.

Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc. (http://www.cryolab.com), the world’s first sperm bank, started preserving frozen semen for clients in 1971. Cryogenic Laboratories became a Fairfax Cryobank (http://www.fairfaxcryobank.com), one of the world’s largest sperm banks in 2002. One of Cryogenic Laboratories first clients stored vials long term from donations he made in 1971. Years later, this client offered the vials to a couple that wanted to have a child. The recipient, age 25, used the thawed vials first for intrauterine insemination in 2009. She progressed to IVF in 2011. The embryos were vitrified with no fresh embryos transferred. Two frozen embryo transfer cycles followed, and the second resulted in a healthy live birth of twins. The semen utilized in the procedure was stored with Cryogenic Laboratories for over 35 years and at a local fertility facility for several more.

Sperm can be frozen at very low temperatures (-196 degree C) for long periods of time while remaining viable. Live births have been reported in the past from vials stored over 20 years, including one at 21 years and another at 28 years. This case represents the first time a successful outcome has been reported after almost 40 years of long term storage.

The birth of a healthy child after almost 40 years of storage is an indication that long term semen storage not only offers increased reproductive possibilities with a high degree of success.