The Ministry of Defence recently announced that soldiers suffering from serious genital injuries will receive three cycles of IVF under a new Military Covenant.
This is great news for the UK’s veterans, which comes on the back of Government support for a campaign which encourages soldiers to freeze their sperm before going to war.
The campaign was started by Sgt Rick Clements, who not only lost both his legs in an IED bomb blast in Afghanistan, he lost his fertility as well and not can’t have children with his fiancée.
According to media reports, Commanders have now been issued with guidelines to advise all troops on fertility preservation before deployment as a matter of course – rather than soldiers having to request the information.
However, the cost of sperm freezing will still have to be met by the soldiers themselves. Sperm freezing is a relatively simple process, and at Manchester Fertility we see men who wish to freeze their sperm for a variety of reasons, such as prior to undergoing medical treatment which can affect fertility.
If you wish to freeze your sperm, you will undergo medical screening to ensure you are free of any infectious diseases, and must give written consent for your sperm to be used.
The consent form allows you to specify what happens to your sperm in the event that something happens to you and how long you want your sperm sample to be preserved for. You can withdraw your consent for the use of your sperm at any time.
You then visit our clinic and provide a fresh sperm sample, which is then preserved in liquid nitrogen. Your sample can be stored for up to three years at a cost of £350, additional samples can be stored at a cost of £150 per sample.
To find out more about sperm freezing, contact us on 0161 300 2737.
Last updated: 25th May 2011
