Recent developments in medical technology have opened the door to game-changing fertility preservation solutions. Women commonly refer to one groundbreaking technique as oocyte freezing or egg freezing, providing them early egg preservation and future fertility control. Oocyte freezing has become a game-changer, enabling women to make educated decisions about when to have a family, whether for medical or lifestyle reasons.
Reasons for Oocyte Freezing:
- Medical Reasons: A woman's fertility may be at risk due to several medical disorders and treatments, such as cancer or specific autoimmune diseases. Before receiving therapies that might impair their ability to conceive, these women can protect their eggs by using oocyte freezing.
- Lifestyle Choices: Before starting a family, modern women frequently give priority to their education, careers, and personal growth. They have the choice to put off having children until they're ready thanks to oocyte freezing, without risking their chances of having biological children.
- Delayed Parenthood: Women's fertility normally drops as they become older, and pregnancy difficulties become more likely. Women may be able to lessen these age-related difficulties and raise their chances of a future healthy pregnancy by preserving their eggs when they are younger.
Factors to Consider:
- Age: The age at which eggs are frozen significantly influences their success rates. Generally, freezing eggs in the mid-20s to early mid-30s improves the likelihood of a successful pregnancy As per the Art guideline, one can now freeze the eggs upto 10 years legally in India, giving a wider timeline.
- Quantity and Quality: The quantity and quality of eggs collected might impact the success of the procedure. Younger women typically develop more healthy eggs.
- Success Rates: It's vital to remember that success rates can vary even though oocyte freezing is a promising alternative. Success rates in pregnancy depend on factors like clinic expertise, the woman's age when freezing eggs, and the quantity of frozen eggs.
- Emotional and Financial Considerations: Financially and emotionally oocyte freezing can be a lot to deal with which is why it's critical to have a support system in place and to be fully aware of all associated costs, including those for the original surgery, storage fees, and potential subsequent IVF treatments. Oocyte freezing has become affordable especially in India compared to Western countries which makes it a lot more affordable and a better option.
The Procedure
Oocyte freezing entails the collection, freezing, and long-term storage of a woman's eggs. Typically, the process goes like this:
- Ovarian Stimulation: A lady receives hormonal stimulation in order to boost the number of eggs recovered. Fertility drugs stimulate ovaries, causing the release of multiple mature eggs, unlike the natural monthly release of a single egg per ovary.
- Egg Retrieval: Medical professionals perform follicular aspiration, a surgical procedure, once they confirm egg maturity, using a small needle to access and retrieve eggs through the vaginal wall.This procedure is less invasive and typically performed under anaesthetic.
- Cryopreservation: The eggs are vitrified after being recovered and then frozen. This process of "flash freezing" stops the growth of ice crystals, which could harm the cellular structure of the eggs. Specialized tanks keep the eggs frozen at extremely low temperatures.
- Storage: Eggs that have been frozen can be kept for years or even decades without a noticeable loss in quality. Hence, women can delay parenthood until readiness without worrying about fertility decline due to the natural process of aging.
Oocyte freezing revolutionizes family planning, granting women unprecedented control over fertility for health, career, or timing parenthood.
This groundbreaking procedure empowers women to navigate their fertility journey, understanding the technique, and making informed choices.
