Oocyte Cryopreservation and PCOS: Should you opt for egg-freezing?
Oocytes cryopreservation is a promising technology and has changed the life of many women. The procedure aims to preserve the fertility of a woman for her future. Let’s understand this procedure better to determine if you should go for it.
What is Oocyte Cryopreservation or egg cryopreservation?
The primary stages of this process are quite similar to IVF. You will be required to consume two types of medication for a period of two and a half weeks. These medicines are given to suppress the natural hormone production cycle. This is done to ensure you don’t ovulate before the expected time. A second course is given for manipulating multiple egg production from the ovaries in place of the usual single egg normally produced.
When the doctor concludes the eggs have developed according to the requirement, you will be injected with the human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, for initiating the maturity of the eggs. After a period of 35 and a half hours, a minor surgery will be performed for extracting the eggs from your uterus.
You will most likely be under general anaesthesia when the extraction takes place. The doctor will look at your ovaries via a handheld ultrasound device which will be inserted inside your vagina. A needle will be used to aspire the fluid inside the ovarian follicles. This fluid will then be handed over to the embryologist who will isolate the healthy eggs via a special technique and subsequently freeze them. It can take many cycles for extracting a decent amount of healthy eggs.
For the future, the eggs can be fertilized and thawed using special techniques. The resultant embryos can be implanted into your uterus. This cryopreservation or frozen embryo transfer can hopefully lead to a successful pregnancy.
Why should women consider freezing their eggs?
Age plays an important role in determining the chances of becoming pregnant. Once you get older, the chances of healthy egg development increase considerably. It can be a problem if you want to have a child in your older years. However, when you are young, you may also come across obstacles in having a child, such as not finding the right partner and prioritizing your career over motherhood.
All of this makes for a complicated scenario, with freezing of eggs being something to definitely consider. When the eggs are frozen, they do not age and get old. In the future, if you choose to conceive, you could use those eggs. You do not need to have an active male partner for it. You can also use donor sperm for the purpose.
Apart from age, you will also need to consider the scenario of a possible medical condition or disease which could cause infertility in the future. For example, medical cancer treatments can affect the ovaries and cause premature menopause via damage to the eggs. A woman may choose to freeze her eggs before undergoing cancer treatment.
The freezing of eggs is also an option during the procedure of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Women can choose to freeze their eggs for future IVF cycles. This can be helpful when one single cycle of IVF fails.
Should I opt for it If I have PCOS?
Yes, PCOS is a condition which can lead to problems in conceiving. Freezing eggs when a woman is in their twenties or thirties when the eggs are of better quality and at a higher quantity can be an excellent decision for future family building.
