People from all over, both celebrities and regular folk alike, are talking about it, and more and more fertility clinics everywhere are offering it – egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is the procedure involving the harvesting of a woman’s egg cells and having them put into deep freeze in the lab for future use.
It has grown in popularity as it allows budding parents, especially women who are approaching an older age, to preserve their present fertility and have the same opportunity to reproduce some time in the future. Whether it’s for personal reasons or reasons involving medical treatment, it has proven to be an effective assisted reproductive technique.
Before availing the procedure, however, it’s best to evaluate whether it’s the best option for you and your partner, given your present needs.
Here are some things to consider before choosing to freeze your eggs.
1 – Your Age
It is often highlighted that it is a good idea to freeze one’s eggs while still young, what a lot of people miss out on, however, is that one shouldn’t be too young. This is because often times, women who freeze their eggs at a very young age tend to not be sure if they will have to use them in the end, since there still lies a big chance that they will conceive naturally, and in that event, waste money on having their eggs frozen in the first place.
This is opposed to freezing one’s eggs at just the right age when they are still reasonably fertile as well being more sure of their plans in terms of having children. This age typically lies between a woman’s late 20s to early 30s. It is generally recommended that women have their eggs frozen before the age of 35, wherein a significant decline in egg quality begins.
2 – Eggs can only be stored for a certain period of time
While using thawed eggs for IVF has shown no difference with using freshly harvested eggs for the procedure, clinics typically only allow a maximum amount of time for storing the frozen eggs, typically 10 years.
This is to ensure the ability of the mother to be able to carry the child once fertilization has taken place, not to mention minimize the incurring fees that the storage will require.
3 – Your situation
There isn’t only one cryopreservation option available – other freezing options such as sperm freezing and embryo freezing are great, viable options for couples with varying needs.
The former is a great option for couples that spend long periods of time away from each other. With the sperm frozen and kept in storage, the woman can choose to undergo IVF at any time even if the man is not present.
For couples who have had a history of miscarriages or envision themselves as wanting more than one child, meanwhile, cryopreservation for embryos is a very good idea as is ensures an embryo’s ability to develop as well as helps the couple to skip other parts of the IVF procedure the next time around.
With the availability of different ART options, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. It is always the best idea to consult with a specialist first so you can come up with the solution that’s best for you as a couple.
If you’re looking for a specialist to consult within Davao, IVF Davao, Inc. is always ready to assist you in your journey towards becoming parents.