Crypreservation Egg and Sperm Freezing
There are many reasons that a person may consider undergoing fertility treatment. Sometimes it’s to ensure that they can start a family now, and sometimes it’s to ensure that they can start a family in the future. One important component of fertility treatment is cryopreservation. This helps in retrieval and donation procedures and is often an essential part of other fertility treatments. When you visit our Dallas fertility clinic, we can discuss cryopreservation in greater detail. Right now, we’d like just go over the basics.
What is cryopreservation?
Cryopreservation is a process in which eggs or sperm are frozen at sub-zero temperatures. This helps preserve the embryos or sperm so that they can be used at a later time. When you speak with a fertility specialist in Dallas, this procedure may come up as part of your treatment.
Why is cryopreservation performed?
Cryopreservation is performed for a variety of reasons. As mentioned above, it’s a great option for people who want to start families. The embryos and sperm are preserved safely at these extremely low temperatures, helping to ensure that no cell death or damage at a cellular level occurs. Occasionally there can be cellular damage during the freezing stage, though we have numerous ways of preventing such issues.
Egg Donation/Retrieval and Cryopreservation
When preserving eggs for future use, cryopreservation is essential. If a woman would like to preserve healthy eggs at an early age in order to start a family later in life, cryopreservation is used. This is ideal because the chance of birth defects increases as a woman ages.
In addition, cryopreservation is essential for the egg donation process, which is one of the most effective treatments for infertility. An egg donor can provide eggs for a couple who will select those eggs in the future. Cryopreservation keeps those eggs viable for future use.
Sperm Donation/Retrieval and Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is also essential for preserving sperm for future use. Someone men may want to undergo a vasectomy but would like to start a family at some point later on. Cryopreservation will allow this option to be viable in the future.
And just like egg donation, sperm donation is greatly assisted by cryopreservation. A man can donate sperm that can be used and selected by a couple at a later time. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Cryopreservation.
If an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure is performed that involves donor eggs or sperm, cryopreservation will be used. The same is true if a couple wishes to have children later in life and wants to use preserved eggs and sperm.
4 Reasons to Freeze Your Eggs
Maybe you’ve never considered the idea of freezing your eggs. After all, many women have not. But depending on your age, health and other factors, it may be something to think about. Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is new assisted reproductive technology that has opened a new horizon for women, allowing the preservation of eggs for future use.
In a nutshell, here’s how it works: Egg freezing involves three primary steps: induction of ovulation, retrieval of the eggs and freezing of them. Your doctor first stimulates the ovaries by giving you follicle stimulating hormone, which allows the production of multiple eggs in a single month. A minor surgical procedure is performed under sedation to remove the eggs from the ovaries. The oocytes are later flash-frozen and stored at minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit until you are ready to conceive.
Here are 4 reasons to consider this procedure:
- You’re not ready – Egg freezing is usually considered for women who wish to delay pregnancy for reasons of concentrating on their career, education and other personal goals.
- Your health got in the way – Egg freezing is ideal for those diagnosed with cancer or need radical surgery and want to preserve their fertility. This process helps protect and preserve your eggs before you undergo cancer treatment therapy.
- Your religion – Egg freezing may also be opted for those who have a religious objection with regard to embryo freezing.
- His timing – Egg freezing is also ideal for couples undergoing fertility treatment in which the male partner is unable to provide sufficient sperm on the day of retrieval.
No matter what your reason, talk to your doctor to see if this treatment is appropriate for you. Egg freezing is an outpatient procedure that can help you build your dreams when you’re ready.
Contact Our Fertility Practice to Learn More
If you would like to learn more about your many different options for fertility treatment, be sure to contact our Dallas fertility treatment center today. We will be more than happy to discuss all of your treatment options in greater detail, helping you receive the best possible treatment for your needs. We look forward to meeting you in person.