Human Sperm Cryopreservation- A Review

Cryopreservation (CP) was first introduced sometime in the 1960s and since then process of CP of human sperm has been one of the effective procedures with respect to male fertility used in variety of cases prior to treatment for preserving donor and participant sperm cells prior to reproduction therapies like ART (Assisted Reproductive Therapy/Technology). CP of sperm is a common procedure for the people who are in condition like infertility due to ejaculation issues, infections, undescended testicles, hormonal imbalance etc., Several literatures are there on whether CP impacts sperm chromosomal integrity or the usage of a specific and unique freezing-thawing strategy. The purpose of this article is to discuss and bring to focus the effects of freezing and thawing on human spermatozoa and the changes in Acrosome integrity, mitochondria, DNA integrity, and plasma membrane integrity. In this age of technological advancements, after being used to treat infertility, CP acquired popularity in human medicine. It improves the effectiveness of assisted reproductive treatments by allowing all retrieved and/or fertilised cells to be saved for later use. Couples who conceive during their first treatment cycle can donate their unused frozen embryos to research under the CP programme. It enables people who are losing their fertility to maintain their reproductive cells and, in the future, conceive via assisted methods. It can be used by women who want to postpone childbirth or have a family history of early menopause. Similarly, the varied usage in critical applications makes CP the need of the hour.