A vasectomy is meant to be permanent. Storing beforehand keeps your option of a biological child open.
If you freeze sperm before a vasectomy, you preserve the possibility of fathering a biological child later - without depending on a reversal operation. Storage takes place before the procedure at a Cryogenix partner clinic in Hamburg, Hanover or Munich: the clinic handles consultation, blood test, discreet sample deposit and freezing; Cryogenix coordinates, transports and stores long-term at -196 °C. Costs: from €350 per year, with the clinic's medical service billed separately.
A vasectomy is one of the most reliable contraceptive methods - and is intended as a permanent decision. But life circumstances can change: a new relationship, a later wish for a(nother) child. A reversal (refertilisation) is a separate, complex procedure whose success cannot be guaranteed.
Stored sperm makes you independent of that: if you later wish to have children, your own sample, secured before the procedure, is available for fertility treatment (IVF/ICSI). The German urological guideline on vasectomy (AWMF register 015-095) also lists cryopreservation as an option that should be discussed before the procedure.
Plan your storage a few weeks before your surgery date: you book online, choose your partner clinic (Hamburg, Hanover or Munich) and your preferred appointment. The first visit takes about 60 minutes - consultation, the legally required blood test, discreet sample deposit, semen analysis. If several samples are to be stored, further short deposit appointments follow a few days apart.
After freezing, Cryogenix handles specialist transport and long-term storage at around -196 °C at the BioKryo cryo lab in Germany. Your vasectomy can then go ahead as planned - your reserve is safely stored.
Before the vasectomy. After a successful vasectomy, the ejaculate no longer contains sperm - a simple sample deposit is then no longer possible. Plan your storage a few weeks before your surgery date; 2-5 days of abstinence are recommended before the deposit.
Several samples create a reserve for multiple treatment attempts and balance out natural quality variations between samples. How many make sense in your case is discussed with the partner clinic at your first appointment.
Not via the ejaculate. There are surgical sperm retrieval procedures you would need to discuss directly with a fertility clinic - considerably more complex than storing before the procedure.
The Cryogenix package starts at €350 per year (incl. 19% VAT) for coordination, specialist transport and long-term storage; cancellable annually. The partner clinic's medical service (consultation, blood test, semen analysis, cryopreservation) is billed separately under the GOÄ fee schedule - you will see the exact amount in the booking flow. Full details on the costs page.