Short answer: as many as you can afford. But the ideal number of samples to store also depends on your future plans. A few questions you might consider:
- Do you have kids already? If you don’t, there may be a higher chance that you’ll want kids in the future.
- How old are you? If you’re in your 20s or 30s, it’s more likely that your family plans may change in the future.
- Are you okay with pausing your testosterone replacement therapy in the future to start a family? If you’d rather not, then you may want to freeze more.
Generally speaking, one vial of sperm is used in each IUI or IVF procedure.
- 1 semen sample = 4 vials of frozen sperm
- 1 vial of frozen sperm = 1 IUI or IVF procedure
IUI pregnancy rates range from 10–25% per cycle; IVF success rates range from 5–50% per cycle. So, you may need multiple attempts to achieve pregnancy.