OVA CRYOPSERVATION: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE?

A woman's most fertile age is around her 20s. Today, around 40 to 50 per cent of women in this reproductive age group do not have children. This is mainly because couples are focusing more on their careers or are concerned about their financial constraints, or quite simply are not ready for, or do not wish to start, a family at this point in their lives – which is entirely normal. Unfortunately, however, a woman's biological clock has not kept pace with modern times, and this creates a series of challenges when starting a family. A relatively new development in reproductive medicine allows a woman to cryopreserve, or freeze, her eggs in the early years of her reproductive life and to use those eggs to have a baby when she is ready and wishes to in the future. Women are increasingly choosing egg freezing as a way of preserving or postponing their fertility. To date, more than 3000 babies have been born worldwide using frozen eggs.

What is egg freezing?

Egg cryopreservation, also known as egg freezing, is a procedure in which a woman's eggs are retrieved, frozen and stored for future use. The treatment cycle is similar to that of IVF, starting with ovarian stimulation, in which medicines containing follicle-stimulating hormone are given by injection for about 10 to 12 days. Once the eggs are ready, they are collected through a procedure known as egg collection or "egg retrieval". During this procedure the eggs are removed with a needle passed through the vagina under ultrasound guidance. The patient is given intravenous sedation, which makes the procedure virtually painless. The retrieved eggs are then assessed in the clinic's laboratory and frozen in cryoprotectants. A cryoprotectant is a mixture of solutions that protects the delicate eggs from intracellular ice formation during the freezing process – ice crystals forming inside the cellular structure of the egg can damage its membranes and rupture the cell. When the woman is ready to use the eggs, they are thawed, fertilised with a single sperm by intracytoplasmic sperm injection ( ICSI) and transferred back to the uterus as an embryo to achieve a pregnancy.

Who should consider egg freezing?

Egg freezing can prove extremely beneficial for women who have been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing some form of cancer treatment, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Once the woman has successfully completed her treatment, these frozen eggs can be used to have a baby with the help of IVF/ICSI treatment. For patients who have undergone a hysterectomy or other surgery that does not allow them to carry a pregnancy naturally, the same eggs can be used together with donor or partner sperm to achieve a pregnancy through a gestational surrogate. Women who are not in a relationship, or whose circumstances are not favourable to having children, can also choose egg freezing. This allows them to "buy time" and choose when they would like to start a family. In any case, it is important that a woman considering this option freezes her eggs while they are still viable, in order to improve her chances of becoming pregnant. Egg freezing should be seen as an option and not as a guarantee of having children in the future. Many women who choose elective egg freezing may never use their eggs, as they may conceive naturally. However, it certainly provides security and reassurance for those who want to postpone motherhood for financial, psychological or any other reasons. To learn more about egg freezing, contact the Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Fetal Medicine - Dr. Alexandros Traianos for a consultation. We will be glad to hear from you!