Oocyte cryopreservation-“egg freezing”
Oocyte cryopreservation, or simply “egg freezing” is a fertility preserving technique used for preserving female fertility to plan a pregnancy in the future and even to simply keep the option of pregnancy open later.
The process involves stimulation of the ovaries which will produce more eggs than usual due to hormonal stimulation, then the most fertile eggs will be cryogenically frozen under extremely controlled conditions for later use.
Women today, more than ever before, have more autonomy in making personal choices and taking life decisions. Apart from the socio-cultural aspect, some women undergo treatment for diseases like cancer which can lead to infertility, but they can have their eggs frozen prior to treatment and plan for a pregnancy later when they are healthy. Clearly, there are a number of reasons for egg freezing but the most common is advancing age.
Women produce only a finite number of eggs throughout their life, they only have a certain number of eggs to begin with. As they age the number keeps getting lesser, the quality of eggs produced by ovaries deteriorates and the odds of a successful pregnancy are lowered constantly and considerably after the age of 35.
Unlike with embryo freezing, egg freezing doesn’t need sperm because the eggs aren’t fertilized before they’re frozen. In terms of choosing between egg freezing or embryo freezing, the former offers more flexibility and definitely a more ethical outlook towards life. A woman in her early 30s may not want to get pregnant just yet, but she may want to keep the option open.
In that case if she were to freeze her eggs when she was 30, where the highest quality eggs will be selected for freezing after ovarian stimulation, and wanted to try to get pregnant when she’s maybe 35 or so: the age of the frozen eggs will still be 30 and the quality will be the same as it was when extracted 5 years ago, the only difference being the woman’s age would be 5 years older as well. Egg freezing still offers women a much safer and better chance of successful pregnancy later on in life.
Planning helps with almost everything in life, and definitely when it comes to making life. Consulting a fertility specialist will help one choose the right approach towards planning parenthood.
Consult with leading IVF specialist, Dr. Sonum Gautam at South West Delhi’s preferred IVF Clinic — Miraculum IVF. Write to our expert at contact@miraculumivf.com or call +91 99712 44483 or you can visit our website https://www.miraculumivf.com
