41.5% of young men in Israel have expressed willingness to preserve sperm at a young age, according to a new study by Prof. Bella Savitsky, an epidemiologist and public health researcher at Ashkelon Academic College.
The study grew out of a personal story. Prof. Savitsky's son, Staff Sgt. Yonatan Savitsky, an IDF combat soldier in the Egoz unit, was killed on October 7, 2023, in battle at Kisufim while taking part in rescuing soldiers and civilians trapped in the outpost. The sperm retrieval performed after his death came too late, and the sperm was not viable.
The study examined the attitudes of 402 Jewish Israeli men aged 18 to 40 toward preserving sperm at a young age. 167 of the participants expressed willingness to do so. Of these, 96% cited the possibility of using the preserved sperm if fertility problems developed in the future, 95% cited a situation involving illness or medical treatment that could harm fertility, and 74% saw it as an opportunity to check sperm quality at a young age and detect problems early.
In addition, 59% of supporters cited the possibility that the sperm could be used by their parents to have a grandchild in the event of their death, and 78% cited the possibility that it could be used by a spouse or partner to have a child in such a case. Prof. Savitsky describes this as a concept of "fertility insurance," preserving the possibility of parenthood in the event of impaired fertility, while also preserving the possibility of genetic continuity in the event of unexpected death.
The study, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Rachel Shvartsur and Prof. Talia Eldar-Geva, was published in the international journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online and was dedicated to the memory of Staff Sgt. Yonatan Savitsky.
Examining sperm preservation for soldiers
Among the men who expressed a desire to preserve sperm, about 41% were willing to pay the full cost, about 13% were willing to do so with partial subsidy, and 46% said they would only preserve sperm if the procedure were fully funded.
In light of this, Prof. Savitsky proposes shifting from an approach that offers fertility preservation mainly following illness to a more proactive approach. In the Israeli context, she proposes examining a state-funded sperm preservation offer for soldiers during their service, alongside advance documentation of their wishes regarding its use in the event of death.
Prof. Savitsky said, "Yonatan's story made me understand just how short the window of time is after death, and how limited the options are once the tragedy has already occurred. This study leads to an important question. Why wait until it's already too late? Preserving sperm at a young age can, first of all, preserve the man's own possibility of becoming a father in the future. And if, God forbid, an unexpected death occurs, this is sperm collected from a living, healthy, young person, at the peak of his fertility, preserved in advance under controlled conditions, instead of relying on urgent retrieval after death."
Prof. Savitsky also has a personal vision, establishing a sperm preservation bank for soldiers named after her son, Yonatan, where soldiers could preserve sperm during their service free of charge. "I would want the thing that wasn't possible for Yonatan to become a possibility for other soldiers, first of all to preserve their fertility, and if, God forbid, something happens to them, so there's no need to start a race against time after their death."
Since the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, more than 170 sperm samples from soldiers have been preserved at the request of their parents or partners. Legally, a fallen soldier's partner has the option to use the sperm for fertilization, assuming it was the deceased's wish. Parents, on the other hand, have no automatic right to use their deceased son's sperm, and are required to prove in court his wish for continuity and having children.
Following the war, legislative efforts on the matter increased, but due to religious, political, and social disputes, a regulated and final law has not yet been formulated. Among the ideas raised, the possibility of having conscripts digitally sign an affidavit enabling sperm retrieval.
