If you need to travel to India for IVF treatment, there is no need to bring your husband with you - you can just bring his frozen sperm sample with you in a special dry shipper.

If you don't want to do this yourself, you can contact courier companies who can do this for you.

These include:

1. Time and Temperature Couriers at www.ttcourier.in

Have your clinic provide detailed documentation about your sperm !

Another clever option ( if you cannot arrange to have the sperm frozen) is to ship this to us by FedEX courier using the BioTranz device manufactured by ZDL,Inc.

If you would like to carry the sperm yourself, one of our patients has discovered a much simpler and easier method.

I had always thought that in order to transport frozen sperm, one needed a dry shipper which keeps the frozen sperm chilled at minus 196 C. These are big, bulky expensive containers which are hard to get and difficult to carry. A dry ice box, on the other hand, costs a few dollars, and dry ice is easily available at any caterer !

Here's how she did it, in her own words ( she is an embryologist herself !)

INTERNATIONAL HAND CARRYING of FROZEN SEMEN SAMPLE on DRY ICE

Obtain small personal cooler @ 8qt ( for example, Cool 8). You can buy one from www.igloocoolers.com.

Fill (Pack) entire cooler with dry ice. This can be obtained from a caterer at about $1.50/pd.

Collect frozen sample already frozen in liquid nitrogen at local clinic. Disperse vials evenly throughout the cooler. Be prepared to sign a document stating the clinic has no responsibility for the sample after it is released.

Have the clinic write up statement about what the sample is and where it is going.( For example, ... Clinic certifies that the contents of these tow containers are human sperm samples of ... frozen and stored in dry ice.)

Attach all paperwork to the cooler so it is clearly visible. Carry extra copies of these documents with you.

Do not tape the cooler shut, as it might have to be opened for security checks.

Do not let cooler be passed through X-Ray, this could hinder the samples viability.

Do not open the Cooler for extended periods of time. The less you open the cooler the better.

Keep the cooler in areas of lowest temperature possible. Ask the airline if they can store the whole cooler in their refrigerator or freezer on board.

Keep fly/ transportation time to a minimum. Dry ice only lasts 24-48 hours depending on how it is stored.

Get cooler to Dr. Malpani as soon as possible for entry back into liquid nitrogen suspension.

HINTS

• Obtain dry ice and sample right before your flight
• Can handle dry ice with bare hands if you move quickly
• Always inform anyone who asks what the cooler is, for it's safety. If security opens the cooler, do so only for minimal times. Once they know what it is they actually want to help !