11 Year Old Sperm Makes 67 Year Old a Father

By Kai Colvin - Senior Medical Research Editor | May 24th, 2012

With today's astonishing technical progresses in reproductive medicine, sperm freezing can be used to assist men in becoming fathers.

Anyone who may be at risk for infertility should consider sperm banking. Cryopreservation helps men diagnosed with cancer, men undergoing certain types of surgeries, men involved with high-risk occupations, oligozoospermia patients, men undergoing vasectomy, and prior to an assisted reproductive technology procedure.

A British man has become a father for the third time —11 years after freezing his sperm.

Malcolm Lawrence, 67, of South Wales and his 31-year-old wife were unable to naturally conceive a child when they married 11 years ago. His wife was too young for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Frozen sperm is examined before being frozen. Immediately after the sperm has been examined, it is divided into smaller consignments and transferred into vials for freezing.

A special compound is added to benefit the freezing process. The test tubes are gradually frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor. Within 60 minutes they are transferred into liquid nitrogen tanks for permanent storage.

“It was a real shock,” Lawrence stated after the birth of his daughter, Cerys-May. “I still can’t believe it has happened.”

Lawrence who suffered from 12 heart attacks and a lung condition, stayed encouraged and motivated in his families aspiration to have another child.

While it remains unclear why Lawrence and his wife were medically unable to conceive on their own, sperm freezing turned out to be a blessing in disguise—an 11 year old disguise.

The story is being welcomed as an indication for just how far infertility treatments have progressed in the past two decades.

To learn more about sperm freezing, find an infertility specialist in your area.