Pregnancies have been initiated with sperm that have been frozen (cryopreserved) for up to 21 years. However, there is no indication that sperm cryobanked for even longer are not capable of initiating a conception. Thus, it is important to bank your sperm for any of the indications listed above, no matter how long you think it may be before you would use them, or even if you are not sure you ever plan to have a family.
You should bank for as long as you think you may need the sperm. You should hope for the best outcome in terms of sperm production post treatment, and plan for the worst.
If you are young, and not anticipating trying to initiate a conception for a while, then you should bank for the maximal contractual time, which is 10 years. (Always remember that you can contract for additional time once your contract comes close to expiring.)
If you are in a relationship, you should try to anticipate the farthest out you would like children for, and store for this period of time.
In some situations, there is only a minimal chance that a drug or surgery will cause infertility. In this case, you may want to bank for only a year or two. Then, if post treatment testing shows good return of sperm and/or ejaculation, the frozen sperm can be destroyed.
Fore more information about sperm banking, check out our FAQ.