WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER FREEZING YOUR EGGS
Cryopreservation is a welcome fertility technology that has taken the weight of the pressure of the ever running ‘’biological clock’’ off women.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE YOUR EGGS FROZEN?
This process also known as cryopreservation involves freezing unfertilized eggs harvested from your ovaries in order to be used at a later time. This is done via a process called vitirification. As with other aspects of life, cryopreservation provides a promising second option for women who want to undergo medical treatments proven to be toxic to their eggs or ovaries ; same for those that could delay childbearing e.g chemotherapy. Also, women who for some non-medical reason want to delay getting pregnant.
The best part about cryopreservation is that the eggs are not affected by the age at which she comes back to use them. It is however important to note that the age a woman chooses to freeze her eggs greatly determines the success of this technology. Although this is up for debate, it is advised that this is done by women 35 years or younger.
DECIDED TO FREEZE, WHAT IS NEXT?
The first step in your journey of freezing your eggs is having a consultation with a fertility expert so as to assess your fertility and overall health. You will be prescribed a few days of hormone injections and you will make a few short trips to the hospital for proper ‘monitoring’.
In a typical cycle, your ovaries produce one egg but these injections are meant to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs in one menstrual cycle. Your response to these medications will be tracked by blood tests and transvaginal ultrasound.
THE EGG RETRIEVAL PROCESS.
The egg removal or harvesting procedure is scheduled once your eggs are mature; your doctor inserts a needle through your vaginal wall and retrieves several eggs from your ovary. This is done under sedation and is painless with no cuts and stitches. The process of the freezing ends here for you but your eggs are taken to the laboratory where they are immediately frozen in a state-of-the-art laboratory specifically designed for cryopreservation.
HOW LONG CAN THESE EGGS STAY FROZEN FOR?
Some people have frozen their eggs for as long as ten years and even more, long-term storage of frozen eggs does not result in any decrease in quality.
The eggs are thawed, injected with a sperm to achieve fertilization, and transferred to the uterus as embryos whenever the patient is ready to attempt pregnancy, perhaps in years to come.
CAN I FREEZE MY EGGS AFTER THE AGE OF 35?
As earlier mentioned, women are advised to freeze their eggs because the quality of the eggs is not affected by the age at which she chooses to use them so it is therefore safe to say that the chances of older women achieving future pregnancy at the time of freezing is slimmer than in younger women.
For further information on freezing your eggs at our facility, please call: 09098889013