Sperm banking for testicular cancer
Some testicular cancer treatments can cause infertility, which means that you might not be able to have children in the future.
Your doctor will offer you the chance to collect and store sperm (sperm banking) before you start treatment. This is a way of storing your sperm for use in later fertility treatment.
What is sperm banking?
Sperm banking is the name for the collection and storage of semen. Semen is the fluid that contains sperm. Sperm banking is also known as sperm cryopreservation or semen storage.
Some cancer treatments can affect your fertility. This might affect your ability to father children in the future. Collecting sperm before treatment means you might still be able to have children in the future if you want to. The sperm is frozen and stored until you decide you want to use it to have a baby.
Collecting and storing sperm
Most people go to a specialist fertility clinic or a clinic that is part of the hospital. There are a number of steps to sperm banking.
Tests you need before sperm banking
Before you can bank sperm you need to have blood tests to check for infections. These are the same checks you have when giving blood. They include blood tests for HIV, hepatitis and a virus called 
(CMV).
Consent
You need to sign a consent form for sperm banking. This includes information about:
- what happens to the sperm if you are no longer able to make decisions for yourself or if you die
- how long you want to store the sperm for – this is usually 10 years
- whether your partner can use the sperm to have a baby if you die
- whether you want to be named as the father if a child is born
- whether your sperm can be used for research or donated for use in someone else’s fertility treatment
- any other conditions you want to state about how the sperm can be used
Collecting your sample
To get the best sample you shouldn't have sexual intercourse or masturbate for 3 or 4 days beforehand. This helps you collect the highest number of sperm.
Most men feel some embarrassment when they go to the clinic. Some men find it difficult to produce a sample. It can be a rather pressurising situation. You may find it helpful to take your partner along. Or you can take things that you know will help you, such as magazines.
It can be especially difficult if you're a teenager. Think carefully about whether you want anyone to go to the clinic with you and who you'd like to take. It might be easier to take a friend or older brother than your parents.
At the clinic a nurse will show you into a private room. You produce the sample by masturbating. Don’t use any lubricant, spit, saliva or a condom because it can kill the sperm. You collect the sample in a sterile container. The nurse will tell you who to give the container to.
The clinic will test the sample to see:
- how many sperm it contains (the sperm count)
- how many of the sperm can swim (motility)
- how many sperm have a normal shape (morphology)
The clinic staff makes sure the sample is labelled correctly and then it is frozen in liquid nitrogen.
Most clinics recommend collecting at least 2 samples, and if possible 3. This depends on how quickly you need to start cancer treatment. You need to leave at least 2 days between each collection.
How long can I store sperm?
The usual time you can store sperm is 10 years. You can extend this up to a maximum of 55 years if you stay infertile.
If you don’t use the samples they can be discarded or donated for research.
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