Singer Kim Jaejoong disposes of frozen sperm… what happened?

Singer Kim Jaejoong (38) has confessed to having disposed of his frozen sperm. Kim recently appeared on the YouTube channel “Neighborhood Friend Kang Nami” and talked about his decision to freeze and ultimately dispose of his sperm.

Kim mentioned, “I froze my sperm to preserve my healthy genes when I was young, but this year it reached its expiration date and had to be thrown away.” He added, “To keep it as fresh as possible, it is best to use it within three years, but the shelf life can be extended to a maximum of five years.”

Freezing sperm at -196 °C … easier than freezing eggs for women
Sperm freezing is the process of preserving sperm by freezing. This procedure involves adding a cryoprotectant to the self-collected sperm to prevent damage from freezing, and then storing it in a tank of liquid nitrogen at -196 °C.

Sperm freezing is often performed before chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Male cancer patients may experience reduced fertility due to reduced testicular function after treatment. Although testicular function can recover after cancer treatment, recovery may be slow.

Some, like Kim Jaejoong, freeze sperm just to preserve fertility. Concerns about declining sperm quality due to aging are the reason for this decision. Couples planning in vitro fertilization (IVF) and whose husband has to be abroad for an extended period of time may also choose to freeze sperm in advance.

Sperm freezing is easier than egg freezing, which requires hormone injections to induce ovulation, making the process more cumbersome for the woman. Sperm can be frozen for various periods of time, usually three to five years, as Kim mentioned. The cost of freezing sperm for three years ranges from 300,000 to 600,000 KRW (approximately $230 to $460).

If men are planning to have children, they should also pay attention to the quality of their sperm early on … Weight loss and foods rich in antioxidants help
For those who want to have children, sperm freezing is important like Kim Jaejoong, but proactively controlling sperm quality is crucial. Infertility is affected by both male and female health. Sperm quality affects both natural and artificial insemination. Statistics show that about 40% of infertility cases are due to male factors.

Sperm quality is determined by factors such as count, morphology, motility and viability. Maintaining healthy lifestyle habits can improve sperm quality. Studies suggest that moderate aerobic exercise for 30 minutes three times a week can improve sperm quality.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is also important. A study from the University of Copenhagen found that 56 obese men who restricted their food intake to 800 kcal per day for two months lost an average of 16.5 kg and their sperm count increased by over 40%. After a year, those who maintained their weight maintained their increased sperm count, while those who regained weight experienced a decline in sperm count.

A Mediterranean diet high in nuts such as walnuts and almonds also has a positive effect on sperm health. A Spanish study found that men who ate nuts daily had significantly lower sperm DNA fragmentation than men who did not eat nuts. Higher sperm DNA fragmentation is associated with an increased risk of infertility. The researchers attributed this improvement to the antioxidants in nuts, which improve sperm quality.