13 September,2010 02:49 PM IST | | Agencies
Scientists have apparently found a new technique for rapidly freezing sperm that could be a fresh hope to couples undergoing IVF.
Experts have discovered that fast-freezing sperm preserves far more of its motility than present slow-freezing method, reports the Independent.
They expect that the technique could help men with low sperm counts as well as those having their sperm frozen before undergoing cancer treatment.
And men who are HIV-positive could have their sperm safely frozen in a way that dramatically cuts the risk of disease for future children.
The experts from Chile and Germany said that slow-freezing techniques have several drawbacks, and retain only about 30 per cent to 40 per cent of sperm activity.
However, rapid freezing, also known as vitrification, allows that figure to rise to almost 80 per cent.
Vitrification is already used to quick-freeze eggs and embryos with success, allowing spare ones to be used in IVF at a later date.
The findings will be presented at the World Congress of Fertility and Sterility in Munich.
