A very busy pursuing learning and career goal, a good number woman these days’ holdup marriage and pregnancy. This, when it’s general knowledge that a woman’s fertility levels start reducing between her late 30s and early 40s. Though, with fast progressing medical technology -- the latest, which allows one to freeze eggs for future use --women now have more probability of conceiving even after they cross 35.
In women egg-freezing is the most recent development in the field of Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART), Dr Firuza R Parikh said, director of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics at a city hospital.
Dr Nandita Palshetkar who is a gynaecologist and infertility specialist, says, “This latest technique gives women a chance to slow down their biological clock by freezing their eggs till they are ready for conception. When they make a decision to get pregnant, the eggs are thawed, fertilised in-vitro and transferred back into the uterus.”
Dr Richa Jagtap who is infertility specialist consultant said, “Today’s way of life tries to defy nature. Women select partners late and this means they delay pregnancy. Though, we can now do oocyte cryopreservation. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine detached the “experimental” label from the technique in 2012 and it has since been included in typical fertility practice.”
Dr Parikh further adds, “There are so many women who cannot think marriage in the near future as they are still looking for the right partner or have many compulsions like working their method through their careers. Freezing eggs is a woman’s biological cover against ageing. However, many women are satisfied and believe that egg-freezing can be done at any age. They wait till they turn 40, but by that time, it is too late! The best age of eggs best frozen is between 25 and 37. Women who can afford this option should not throw away time.”
The method
The patient at first tested for HIV and Hepatitis B and C. after that, the eggs are removed surgically and frozen -- either by cooling down gradually or by vitrification i.e. fast freezing.
Eggs frozen at a temp of -196 degrees C in liquid nitrogen and liquid cryoprotectant make sure long-term storage. During this period, the woman can choose if she wants to use the eggs herself or donate them to help a different woman get pregnant.
Modern studies have shown that egg-freezing by vitrification technique increases conception rates. That’s because the probability of the eggs surviving the freeze-thaw procedure is comparatively higher.
In oocyte cryopreservation, the eggs are harvested by a method alike to the natural cycle. The patient will be made to grow further eggs, with the help of hormonal injections, which are patient-friendly and can, in most cases, be self-administered. The eggs are later on retrieved by a 10-minute process under short anaesthesia. The patient can start again normal life within a day. The eggs are cryopreserved using advanced vitrification procedure, which causes minimal damage to the eggs -- they can be maintained for five years or even more. The duration of storage does not slow down egg quality.
Biology
A female is born with all the eggs she will ever have. Actuality, the strength of her oocyte reserve is finalised when she is in her mother’s womb. This number quickly becomes half by the time of birth. The eggs lie dormant till hormonal activity starts at teenage years. Each month, a bunch of eggs start their trip towards ovulation. Only the best are chosen and the rest are discarded naturally. By the age of 37, there is a quick decline in the egg reserve and the number sharply declines till the age of 40-plus, when there are but few good ones left.
Benefits of egg-freezing
It’s been proven advantageous in various situations. For instance, In case where chemotherapy or radiotherapy is required this method is very good as the both are highly toxic for the eggs. So, young cancer patients can freeze their eggs prior to treatments begin. Also, many women today delay pregnancy due to different reasons. Freezing eggs at an early age will help them start a family at any time they wish. It’s even more significant for women with a family history of early menopause, as the eggs start depleting at an early age.
Points to consider
About 2,000 babies have been born from frozen eggs till date. Study shows that they have no increased rate of birth defects as compared to the common population. There is no increase in the rate of chromosomal defects in embryos derived from frozen eggs. Perfect candidates for egg freezing will be single women in their early thirties and those undergoing medicine that hampers fertility. It’s significant to freeze your eggs before their quality begins to decline, which happens after about 37 years of age.
Did you know?
The eggs are stored in cryotanks or cryobanks, which are cylinders filled with liquid nitrogen. Every repository stores only one sample, so there are no probabilities of any mix-up.
The cost of egg-freezing is between Rs.20, 000 and 80,000. In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) will expenditure anything from 80,000 to 1 lakh, without medicines (with medicines, this will go up to approximately 2 lakh).
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