With modernity taking over and couples getting busy in their fast-paced lifestyle, it has become common for them to have children when they are mentally ready for it. However, couples conceiving at a later stage of life face a lot of fertility problems.
To solve these problems, assisted reproductive techniques like egg freezing are excellent options for women who want to conceive at a later stage. This process is scientifically known as ‘oocyte cryopreservation’ that means a technique to save a women’s ability to get pregnant in the future. In this technique, unfertilized eggs are harvested from ovaries and frozen which can be used later. Through this artificial technique, the egg can be combined with the sperm in laboratory conditions and then implanted in the uterus manually.
Dr Swati Mishra, who is a consultant at Birla Fertility and IVF said in an interview about how the egg freezing technique works.
Who can benefit from egg-freezing?
Egg freezing is a good option for women who want to conceive in their thirties, Dr Mishra further states that one of the benefits of egg freezing is that the egg doesn’t need a donor immediately; the egg can be fertilized at the time of conception.
Let us take a look as to why women consider the option of egg freezing?
- Whether there are any infertility issues like PCOD, sickle cell anaemia or lupus
- Whether you are going through cancer treatment – Cancer treatment weakens your organs and the harmful radiations can affect your fertility.
- IVF – In-vitro fertilization is another method to fertilize eggs with sperms. Depending upon the case, doctors suggest either egg freezing or IVF.
- Delaying pregnancy – Couples who want to conceive children at a later stage go for egg freezing.
- Physical issues – In some infections and physical issues like endometriosis (tissues grow outside the womb, blocking the fallopian tube), can damage the quality of eggs.
What is the procedure?
Before freezing eggs, patients have to undergo some screening tests to check if there are any infections or diseases that can hinder the process. There are 3 steps involved broadly:
- Ovarian Simulation
- Egg retrieval
- Freezing
What factors affect egg-freezing?
Dr Mishra stated in her interview that before opting for it, one must consider the following factors that can affect the success or failure of egg-freezing:
- Age
- Sperm Quality
- Reputed Clinic
- Quantity of eggs.
Can menopausal women freeze their eggs?
Dr Mishra said in her interview that eggs are more fertile when women are in their 20s or 30s, but when they enter menopause in their late 40s or early 50s; the eggs have a declined fertility rate, so pregnancy in that age becomes problematic. However, it is an option for people who are conceiving in their 40s, fresh eggs always stand a better chance than frozen eggs.
The egg-freezing cost right from the retrieval to storing it is quite high in India, the retrieval procedure costs around Rs. 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh and for storing it, the amount can range from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 every year. However, many insurance plans cover egg freezing costs.
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