[Use of frozen sperm for in vitro fertilization. A case report]

A case of a man with a malignant testicular tumor is reported; during the time between orchiectomy and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy his semen was preserved and stored in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C). Due to postoperative ejaculation disturbance resulting in infertility of the husband, artificial insemination with cryopreserved semen was performed over a period of 9 months without leading to conception. During a laparoscopy and perturbation, which were combined with an attempt for in vitro fertilization (IVF), three oocytes were collected and fertilized in vitro by cryopreserved spermatozoa of the husband. Two days later two embryos were transferred, unfortunately resulting in a bilateral tubal pregnancy. The case report demonstrates that less than 10,000 progressively motile spermatozoa are sufficient to perform successful IVF and embryo transfer.