Investigators discuss cost-effectiveness study of cryopreservation vs vasectomy reversal

In this video, Bradley Roth, MS4, and Scott D. Lundy, MD, PhD, HCLD, outline the background and rationale for the study, “Routine Sperm Cryopreservation before Vasectomy Is Not Cost-Effective and Does Not Increase Live Birth Rates Compared to Surgical Sperm Retrieval or Vasectomy Reversal.”

Roth is a fourth year medical student at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center, and Lundy is the section head of reproductive urology as well as a surgeon scientist at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

Video Transcript:

Roth: The inspiration for this study was that ever since sperm banks opened in the 60s, there's been a popular idea among men who are pursuing vasectomy to cryopreserve sperm, so that if they ever do want future fertility, they have the sperm saved. While this is a very safe procedure, there hasn't been a lot of literature on is how cost effectiveness is, especially given how far advancements have come in vasectomy reversal, particularly with urologist skill in the procedure. The idea of the study was to take a look and do a cost effectiveness analysis so patients can have a better idea which might be a better route for them if they are going to pursue vasectomy, be it vasectomy reversal or sperm cryopreservation.

Lundy: The genesis of this study was actually very much rooted in modern technology. A friend of mine, Dr. [Pietro] Bortoletto, who's a female fertility specialist in Boston, posed a question to me on a social media site publicly about the cost effectiveness of this approach. So, we thought we might as well make a research study out of it. As Dr. Roth said, the idea here is to determine, from an epidemiologic perspective, whether freezing sperm for many men before their vasectomy is cost-effective compared to whether we should simply avoid this routine practice and allow men to proceed with their vasectomy and then restore their fertility in the future. It's also important to state that for some men, freezing sperm is absolutely a good idea and is medically indicated. For those who are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation or other gonadotoxic therapies, they're really not the purpose of this study. This is for healthy men who are considering this more from a social perspective, rather than a medically indicated perspective.

This transcript was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.