Egg Freezing in Chennai
Kiran Infertility Centre – Chennai’s embryologists are experts in egg freezing technique in addition to providing world-class treatment options like IVF, ICSI, IUI, Altruistic Surrogacy and other routine and advanced fertility treatments.
What is Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing also known as Oocyte cryopreservation is a process of preserving the reproductive potential of a woman by preserving her eggs. In this method, the eggs of the concerned woman are retrieved from the ovaries and are frozen in the unfertilized stage and then stored to be used at a later point of time.
The fertilized egg is then implanted in the woman’s uterus at a later date. Egg freezing is helpful for women for medical reasons such as when undergoing cancer treatment or just wants to postpone their pregnancy for other social reasons such as for career development or occupational factors.
A woman can consider Oocyte cryopreservation under the following circumstances-
- She has a condition or circumstance that can affect her fertility-
The concerned woman has certain medical conditions or gender factors such as sickle cell anemia, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, and gender diversity, such as being transgender.
- She needs treatment for cancer or another illness that can affect her ability to get pregnant
The woman may be needed to undergo certain medical treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy that can harm her fertility.
- The woman needs to undergo in vitro fertilization.
When undergoing in vitro fertilization, some women prefer egg freezing to embryo freezing for religious or ethical reasons.
- The woman wishes to preserve younger eggs now for future use.
Freezing eggs at a younger age might help the concerned woman in getting pregnant when she is ready.
Egg Freezing Method – Screening & Tests
The procedure followed for Oocyte cryopreservation is similar to the procedures undertaken in case of In vitro fertilization or IVF. The following tests are carried out before beginning the egg-freezing process that includes-
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- Ovarian reserve testing to determine the quantity and quality of the eggs where the doctor tests for the AMH level with the AFC test.
- Screening for infection diseases follows for knowing about any infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B and C.
Egg Freezing Method – Screening & Tests
- Ovulation induction
The treatment starts by injecting gonadotropin hormones to stimulate the ovaries to produce several eggs, apart from the single egg which forms monthly. The patient has to undergo blood tests and scans to measure her response to ovarian-stimulation medications. The eggs can be retrieved usually after 10 to 14 days of ovulation induction.
- Egg retrieval
The process of retrieval of the eggs is done under anesthesia. The doctors usually choose transvaginal ultrasound aspiration through an ultrasound probe. Multiple eggs can be removed by using suction device and the eggs are then immediately frozen.
- Freezing
After the harvesting of the unfertilized eggs, the eggs are frozen to sub-zero temperature (-196 degree) by using methods such as Cyroprotectants, Slow freezing technique and Vitrification. The eggs are then preserved to be used in the future.
When the patient/woman is ready for pregnancy and wishes to use the eggs, the embryologist will then thaw the eggs and fertilize them from the male partner and then the embryos are grown in an incubator and later on transferred at Blastocyst stage.
Success rates of Oocyte cryopreservation
The chances of becoming pregnant after implantation are roughly 40 to 60 percent, depending on the age of the woman at the time of egg freezing. The chances of getting pregnant diminish when the concerned woman’s age is above the normal fertility age at the time of egg freezing.
For more information on Oocyte cryopreservation – you can visit KIC – Chennai