Sperm Cryopreservation: Is There A Place for Freeze-Drying in Sub Saharan Africa (Published)
The need to improve sperm cryopreservation has generated much interest in Freeze-drying(FD). Haven has been demonstrated in animals as a good alternative for sperm preservation and maintenance of genetic integrity, its place for human sperm is currently being proposed. With FD, sperm can be stored at room temperature or 40C unlike the conventional use of Nitrogen liquid. Thus, resulting in substantial reduction in the cost of storage and shipping. The concern for FD on the sperm motility, viability and to some extent the DNA fragmentation is species specific and can be circumvented by the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), resulting in the good embryonic development and successful pregnancy. The review provides an overview of the conventional Nitrogen liquid storage and FD. Embracing the concept of FD could reduce the overhead cost of sperm cryopreservation especially in our setting with scarce resources.
Keywords: Freeze-Drying, Nitrogen Liquid Storage, Sperm Preservation