Sperm cryopreservation for someone with very low semen volume

Answered on 11th December 2018 in Treatments

Is there a minimum volume of semen that the lab needs to be able to analyse and freeze my sperm?

My partner has low ejaculate volume due to testosterone deficiency. He's ejaculating less than half a ml. The doctors want him to go on testosterone replacement because the deficiency is affecting him quite badly, so we are hoping to get back up sperm freezing because we know that TRT can cause decline in sperm production. But since he's not producing much at all, we are worried that the lab won't be able to analyse or freeze his sample because there won't be enough of it?

Thanks in advance for any insight or reassurance you can give us. He's not had a semen analysis so we don't know what his count is like right now.

Our Expert's Answer

This information was published 5 years, 4 months ago and was correct at the time of publication. It may not reflect our current practices or regulations.

Please note that all the answers we give are on a generic basis only, as we cannot provide more in-depth answers without access to your medical history. If you need a more detailed response, tailored to you, we would recommend a consultation with one of our Fertility Specialists for more comprehensive medical advice.

You would firstly need to provide a semen sample to assess, regardless of volume. If volume is low then multiple semen samples for storage would be recommended (if the first semen sample is satisfactory) and would definitely require sperm freezing before testosterone replacement.