Planning for a family, and preparing for the worst

Iryna and her husband Oles, from just outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, had been eager to start a family. But Russia's invasion had intervened, and then the 29-year-old couple got the news that in January, Oles would be deployed to Ukraine's eastern front. That was when they made a choice: Oles would join the growing list of soldiers who freeze their sperm to ensure they can become fathers ― no matter what happens.