As of 2012, The American Society for Reproductive Medicine stated that egg freezing is no longer considered an experimental procedure and is an acceptable treatment option. Cryopreservation of eggs, embryos and sperm allow patients to protect their future fertility. The two most common reasons patients choose cryopreservation are lifestyle choices and medical necessity.
Medical Necessity
Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, genetic conditions with a likelihood of ovarian failure, and some surgeries can put your reproductive health at risk. The American Cancer Society suggests healthcare providers advise their patients on the risk of infertility and the assisted reproductive strategies that are available.
Lifestyle
While many women are empowered to put off having a child until later in life, the natural age-related decline in female fertility begins in their 30’s and even more rapidly after the age of 35. Preserving is a viable option for women who have decided ahead of time that they want to delay starting a family.
Treatment Options
At Laurel Fertility Care, the vitrification technique is used to freeze sperm, eggs and embryos. With vitrification, eggs are exposed to solutions to help survive freezing and are then plunged into liquid nitrogen at really low temperatures. Evidence strongly suggests that this is a more superior technique to the older methods and leads to improved survival and pregnancy rates.
Male patients can provide a sperm sample to be frozen or it can be retrieved through a surgical procedure (i.e. TESE). The cryopreserved sperm can be thawed and used for intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures without preventing future offspring.
At Laurel Fertility Care we have many options to meet our patient needs. To learn more about the cryopreservation process, please contact our office to speak with one of our team members and schedule your appointment.
