Authors
Shimi Barda, Shanee Dim, Shlomit Shabat, Sandra Edith Kleiman, Noga Fuchs Weizman
Published in
Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics. Jul 07, 2026. Epub Jul 07, 2026.
Abstract
To evaluate whether long-term cryostorage duration affects post-thaw sperm motility and progressive motile concentration (PMC) in samples cryopreserved for up to 30 years.
A retrospective cohort study of 629 donor sperm samples cryopreserved between 1990 and 2020 in a single university-affiliated andrology laboratory was conducted. Motility and PMC were assessed immediately after thawing (T0) and after extended storage (TES). Associations between storage duration and post-thaw changes were evaluated using correlation analysis, multivariable linear regression, and multilevel mixed-effects models with donor-level random effects. K-means clustering was applied to identify sperm quality phenotypes.
Total motility declined significantly following the freeze-thaw process (p < 0.001) but remained within clinically usable ranges after extended storage. Storage duration showed only a weak association with relative motility change (r = 0.169, p < 0.001), without a consistent duration-dependent trend in absolute post-thaw motility. PMC changes were modest and non-monotonic across storage groups. Multilevel models indicated that storage duration explained only a small proportion of variance in long-term outcomes. Cluster analysis identified distinct sperm quality phenotypes independent of storage duration.
Long-term cryostorage of up to 30 years is not associated with substantial impairment of sperm motility or PMC. These findings support the stability of cryopreserved spermatozoa under prolonged storage conditions.
PMID:
42412260
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Jul 2026.
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