Baby ‘a record breaker’ after sperm frozen for 21 years

A BABY born using sperm which was frozen for 21 years is believed to mark a world record in fertility treatment, British researchers said yesterday.

The child was conceived using IVF after the father had his sperm frozen at the age of 17 before treatment for testicular cancer.

The researchers from St Mary's Hospital and Christie Hospital, both in Manchester, said they believed this was the longest that sperm had been stored and then resulted in a successful birth.

The couple involved in the treatment said they were keen for their case to be reported to give hope to young cancer patients facing treatment for their disease and worrying about their future.

The man was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1979 and before treatment, which would leave him sterile, five ampoules of sperm were frozen, according to the report in the journal Human Reproduction. He underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy between 1979 and 1981 and was found to be clear during follow-up in 1992. The man and his wife then decided they wanted to start a family.

The technique ICSI where a single sperm is injected into an egg was used to fertilise his partner's eggs. A baby boy was born in 2002 after a fourth cycle of IVF treatment.

Dr Elizabeth Pease, a consultant in reproductive medicine at St Mary's Hospital, said: "We believe this is the longest period of sperm cryopreservation resulting in a live birth so far reported in the scientific literature."

Senior embryologist Greg Horne said that even after 21 years of storage, the percentage of moving sperm after thawing was high.

"This case report provides evidence that long-term freezing can successfully preserve sperm quality and fertility.

This is important to know because semen stored by young cancer patients is undertaken at a time of great emotional stress when future fertility is unlikely to be an immediate priority," he said.