title: How do men in the United Kingdom decide to dispose of banked sperm following cancer treatment?
abstract: Current policy in the UK recommends that men bank sperm prior to cancer treatment, but very few return to use it for reproductive purposes or agree to elective disposal even when their fertility recovers and their families are complete. We assessed the demographic, medical and psychological variables that influence the decision to dispose by contacting men (n = 499) who banked sperm more than five years previously, and asked them to complete questionnaires about their views on sperm banking, fertility and disposal. From 193 responses (38.7% response rate), 19 men (9.8%) requested disposal within four months of completing the questionnaire. Compared with men who wanted their sperm to remain in storage, they were significantly more confident that their fertility had recovered (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.05-3.03, p = 0.034), saw fertility monitoring (semen analysis) as less important (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.39-0.94, p = 0.026), held more positive attitudes to disposal (OR = 5.71, 95% CI = 2.89-11.27, p < 0.001), were more likely to have experienced adverse treatment side-effects (OR = 4.37, CI = 1.61-11.85, p = 0.004) and had less desire for children in the future (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.26-0.64, p < 0.001). Information about men's reasons to dispose of banked sperm may be helpful in devising new strategies to encourage men to engage with sperm banking clinics and make timely decisions about the fate of their samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Metabolism, Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, University of Sheffield , Level 4, Sheffield , UK.
authors.forename: Allan Anthony
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Pacey
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Merrick
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arden-Close
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Mathew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eiser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods*; D003657:Decision Making; D059247:Fertility Preservation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000523:psychology*; D013074:Sperm Banks / Q000379:methods; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cancer; male infertility; psychology; semen cryopreservation