Are there any Benefits in Preserving Sperm from Two Consecutive Ejaculations in Oncology Patients and Sperm Donors?

Introduction: Sperm preservation is of major importance for both oncology patients and sperm donors. Today, many of the oncology patients choose to preserve sperm before chemotherapeutic or radiotherapy treatments. Therefore, two consecutive ejaculations can help oncology patients achieve the desired number of sperm tubes to be preserved. In sperm donors, preserving sperm from two consecutive ejaculations can save time and money.

Aim: Evaluation of two consecutive ejaculations in oncology patients and sperm donors for sperm preservation.

Materials & Methods: Four oncology patients and five sperm donors were asked to ejaculate into two separate sterile cups twice within one hour. Each of these two samples were analyzed for sperm count, motility and morphology and then mixed with freezing medium and divided into tubes and gradually frozen with liquid nitrogen.

Results: In three oncology patients the sperm count was very low. The two consecutive ejaculations allowed a faster accumulation of preservation tubes, one tube from each ejaculation. In the fourth oncology patient the first ejaculation resulted in five preservation tubes, and the second one resulted in three more. Similarly, in sperm donors, the sperm volume was lower in the second ejaculation, and the sperm count was lower, while the morphology was maintained.

Conclusions: Two consecutive ejaculations allowed a faster accumulation of sperm preservation tubes in oncology patients, thereby saving time prior to chemotherapeutic treatments. However, in the case of sperm donors, the lower sperm count following the second ejaculation makes this preservation method less attractive for sperm cryobanking.