Cryopreservation of small numbers of human spermatozoa in a Stripper tip: Report of the first live-birth worldwide

Purpose: The aim is to report the first live-birth following ICSI using spermatozoa previously vitrified in a Stripper Tip.

Principal results: A 34-year-old cryptozoospermic man was enrolled in a sperm vitrification program. After failure of conventional freezing technique, spermatozoa were vitrified using two carriers: a commercially-available, Cell Sleeper, and a "home-made" one, Stripper Tip. This man and his 30-year-old wife underwent an ICSI attempt using vitrified-warmed spermatozoa from these devices. All frozen-warmed spermatozoa were quickly recovered. Among the oocytes retrieved, six were injected with sperm from the Cell Sleeper, and seven with sperm from the Stripper tip, leading to 4 embryos in each case. Two embryos, arising from sperm frozen in the Stripper tip, were transferred, resulting in a healthy live-birth.

Conclusions: This is the first successful delivery following the use of spermatozoa frozen in an original device, the Stripper Tip, giving a promising prospect for managing severe male infertilities.