Cryopreservation Demonstration Program launches, allowing for flexibility in warfighter family planning

The Defense Health Agency will launch a three-year pilot on Sept. 14, 2026, to support eligible service members who want to freeze sperm or eggs through the Cryopreservation Demonstration Program - 30 days after being listed in the Federal Register.

Mandated by the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, the demonstration program will reimburse certain costs tied to sperm or egg freezing, giving eligible service members more choice in family planning.

The program, overseen by the DHA medical affairs directorate, "offers support for members who face unique military demands," said Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Kathleen Pombier, chief of DHA's women's health clinical management team. "Military service has an impact on how people build their families, with deployments and long separations affecting when troops decide to have children."

Cryopreservation safely freezes eggs or sperm with liquid nitrogen to stop the aging process. The frozen eggs and sperm can be thawed, even years later, so service members can use them when the time better fits their family planning objectives, said Pombier.

Designed to give active duty service members "flexibility in choosing when to build their family," cryopreservation can provide them with more "options in their reproductive future, or if there are issues with getting pregnant," she said. By providing these family planning possibilities, the program ensures the delivery of high-quality care to all beneficiaries, Pombier added.

In DHA's effort to deliver joint warfighting capabilities, the pilot covers all active duty forces - U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, and U.S Space Force. To be eligible, a service member must meet one of three conditions:

• Have orders for duty that qualify for hazardous duty pay
• Be likely to receive orders for duty that qualify for hazardous duty pay within 120 days
• Who will, under orders, be geographically separated from a spouse, domestic partner, or dating partner for more than 180 days, including sea duty

The program is voluntary and not a TRICARE benefit, Pombier noted. Participants can be reimbursed up to $500 per year for sperm preservation and capped at $10,000 per year for egg preservation. The demonstration program will also reimburse for related medications, medical tests, lab work, and imaging. Storage and shipping causes may also be reimbursed. Embryo creation, in vitro fertilization, or other elective procedures are not covered.

"We encourage participants to use a participating military hospital or clinic," said Pombier, but a civilian fertility clinic may also be used, and doesn't have to be TRICARE-authorized.

Participants must follow timing guidelines: All testing, retrieval, and freezing generally must occur before orders begin. Beneficiaries who face a qualifying long separation may receive services before the separation or while it continues, if care is available.

Pombier said those interested should begin with the DHA's program website to get started. All service members must get confirmation of eligibility from their commander before seeking reimbursement. An advance medical directive is also required of all participants stating how they want their stored sperm or eggs handled if they die.

Throughout the demonstration program phase, DHA will track use, costs, claims processing, patient experience, and impact on readiness and retention - all part of a feasibility assessment, Pombier said.

The program is set to end after the initial three-year mandate, unless it's extended. Pombier said eligible participants should expect to pay storage and shipping costs after the pilot ends if the program doesn't continue.

In providing "eligible service members options to choose when to begin a family," the program delivers warfighter medical readiness by allowing them to "focus more on being mission-ready rather than worrying about family planning," said Pombier.