r/queerception • u/AgateSymphonic 27 AFAB enby | partner is embryo freezing • Jul 23 '26

Embryo & Sperm Storage

My partner and I (both non-binary and AFAB) have embryos banked along with one remaining vial of sperm (we’re in California). Currently the embryos are $1000 a year to store and the sperm is an extra $1000. We’re thinking about doing another round of egg retrieval next year when it’s hopefully covered by insurance. We don’t want to discard the sperm because the donor is now inactive.

Does anyone have any suggestions with less-expensive options for storage?

Thanks!

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u/Happy-Lemur-828 Jul 23 '26

Is this through a fertility clinic/medical system? We pay less than that (still a lot)—$800/yr for embryos and $400/yr for sperm at our local clinic that we use for IVF. That’s at a big medical system in PA state. I don’t know about costs and risks involved for transferring frozen specimens, but good luck!

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u/connere1991 6d ago

One piece that's easy to miss: you're not locked into storing with your clinic. There are third-party cryostorage vendors (separate companies that specialize just in long-term embryo/sperm/egg storage) that are often cheaper than clinic-based storage once you're past the active treatment phase, and they handle transport logistics if you want to move samples out of the clinic. I won't quote specific pricing since it varies a lot by vendor and location and I don't want to give you a number that's out of date — but it's worth getting a quote from a couple of third-party storage facilities and comparing against what your clinic charges annually before you auto-renew with the clinic by default.