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  • Sperm banks in the United States are regulated by the FDA, and you'll find at least one in every state. Typically, between 18 and 40 years of age, sperm donors must pass a long health questionnaire before they're ever invited to donate at a sperm bank. After donation, sperm at a sperm bank is kept fresh through a process called cryobanking.

    Protected

    After a sperm sample has been taken and put into a liquid form, the sample is mixed with a chemical called a cryoprotectant. This chemical keeps the sperm from becoming damaged or no longer viable in the low temperatures it will endure.

    Packaged

    The liquid with the sperm and the cryoprotectant is put in long straws or vials and sealed and coded using the sperm bank's unique system.

    Frozen

    The straws or vials are placed in either a tank or individual steel vials of liquid nitrogen and frozen at approximately minus-196 degrees Celsius or minus-320.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Removed

    Within a few days, a single vial or straw is removed from the tank, and the sperm is allowed to thaw. Tests are run on how well the sperm has survived. Depending on the bank, a certain percentage of sperm must still be alive in the vial in order for the samples to be kept and considered viable.

    Tested

    After six months, another sample vial or straw is removed, and the sperm is tested one last time for sexually transmitted diseases. If the test comes back negative, the vial and any other vials from the donation are placed into long term storage to be used by prospective recipients.

    Source:

    Sperm Bank Directory: How is Sperm Actually Frozen?

    Malpani Infertility Clinic: Using Donor Sperm

    Celsium to Fahrenheit Conversion

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