Oocyte cryopreservation

 

What is oocyte cryopreservation 

 Egg freezing is one way to preserve a woman's fertility so that she can start a family in the future. Its simple steps are to collect and freeze the woman's eggs, then thaw them later so that they can be used in fertility treatment.

 A woman's chances of conceiving naturally decline with age due to a decrease in the quality and number of her eggs.

 Egg freezing can be an attempt to preserve fertility by freezing eggs when a woman is under the age of 40 and the eggs are of high quality. It is possible to do this procedure for older ages with lower success rates.

 Is egg freezing suitable for me?

 A woman may wish to freeze her eggs in the following cases:

 If you have a medical condition or need treatment for a medical condition that affects your fertility, such as cancer.

 ２ - If you are worried about your fertility but not ready to have a baby or you can't find the right partner - it is often called 'selective freezing'.

 What are the steps for freezing eggs?

 First, we will need to be tested for any infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. This has no bearing on whether or not you can freeze your eggs, but rather to ensure that affected egg samples are stored separately to prevent contamination of other samples.

 You will then begin the process of inducing ovulation, which usually takes two to three weeks to complete. This will usually involve taking medications to increase egg production and help the eggs to mature. When the eggs are ready, they will be collected while you are under general anesthesia.

 At this point, instead of injecting the eggs with sperm (as in conventional ICSI), a cryoprotectant (freezing solution) will be added to protect the eggs. The eggs are then frozen either by slow cooling or by vitrification (rapid freezing) and stored in liquid nitrogen tanks. The latest statistics show that vitrification is more successful than the slow cooling method.

 Most women will have about 15 combined eggs although this is not always possible for women with low ovarian reserves (low numbers of eggs). When you want to use it, the eggs will be thawed and the eggs that remain will be injected with the husband's sperm.