- A baby has been born using sperm frozen for 21 years
in what researchers hailed as a world record in fertility treatment.
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- The child, a boy, was born following IVF after the father
had his sperm frozen in 1979 before being treated for testicular cancer.
The successful birth is being claimed as a record for the longest period
that sperm has been kept frozen and resulted in a live birth. It also demonstrates
how modern fertility treatment is extending the boundaries of reproductive
life.
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- The boy was born two years ago but details have been
released for the first time today by doctors at St Mary's Hospital and
the Christie Hospital in Manchester who treated the couple. Writing in
the journal Human Reproduction, the doctors say: "We believe this
is the longest period of sperm cryopreservation resulting in a live birth
so far reported in the scientific literature."
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- The couple have requested anonymity but were last night
considering several offers of cash from media organisations for their story.
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- The father, now 42, was treated for testicular cancer
at the age of 17 with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy which left
him sterile. Before treatment began he deposited five ampoules of sperm
which were kept deep-frozen in long-term storage. The treatment lasted
two years and he had regular checks for the next decade before being discharged
from follow-up in 1992, aged 30.
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- He and his partner then considered having a family and
were referred to the fertility unit at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester
in 1995. Elizabeth Pease, a consultant in reproductive medicine, said:
"Their first concern was whether, when it was defrosted, the sperm
was going to be viable."
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- The defrosted sperm was found to be in good condition
and the woman was inseminated with it to see if this alone would prove
successful. When it did not, the couple joined the waiting list for IVF.
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- They were accepted for treatment three years later in
1998 when the man was 36 and his partner 28. They had four attempts at
ICSI - the method which involves injecting a sperm directly into the egg.
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- Embryos were created and transferred to the woman on
three of these occasions but failed to implant. Two embryos from the last
attempt were frozen and two years later the couple had them thawed and
impregnated in 2001. Their healthy son was born in 2002.
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- Dr Pease said the couple were "over the moon"
when they learnt their treatment had been successful. She said their example
offered hope to young cancer patients worried about their fertility in
the future.
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- "For many patients it might not cross their mind
[to store their sperm] because of more immediate concerns about their health.
The important thing is that it is an option which can be offered to them,"
she said.
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- "There is not much information about success rates
using sperm frozen for many years so we will be interested to see what
happens next."
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- The average age of men storing their sperm because of
treatment for cancer or other conditions is 24. Under UK regulations from
the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, frozen sperm can be stored
until a man is 55.
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- © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/story.jsp?story=524667
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