IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) and pregnancy
Egg freezing :
Like all other clocks, the biological clock is not in your hand. But freezing this clock is!!!
Who all should freeze eggs?
It was thought that it is mainly used for women diagnosed with cancer to preserve their fertility before cancer treatment. Nowadays, it is used by women who want to postpone having children.
It could be for a number of reasons - not having an ideal partner, pursuing education or career, caring for parents or just to take pressure off relationships. severe diseases like endometriosis, poor ovarian reserve at young age, different cysts were surgery is advised and ovary may be required to be removed
Cancer at young age Which may need surgery / chemotherapy
Lymphomas hodgkins and non-hodgkins
Divorces and forcefull relationships
When to freeze eggs?
The number of eggs and quality of eggs deplete as the age advances.
The optimal age to freeze eggs is 32-36, but any woman ages 30-40 should consider egg freezing if they plan to delay a family.
Success rates are better at the younger age
we do freezing for age more than 40 as well but ofcourse one has to understand the success rate
Success rates
Freezing around 12 to 15 eggs for women under 36 , have up to 50 to 60 % chance of having a child later, compared to 7% to 10% for an older group of women (40+)with fewer eggs.
The procedure of egg freezing
Patient is given injection from day 2 periods and 4 to 5 sonography will be done to see the growth of follicles
Injections are given for period of 10 to 12 days
When the size of the follicles have grown we admit patient for half day and eggs extraction is done vaginally under anaesthesia . Patient is be discharged on same day
The eggs are then separated from the aspirated follicular fluid
The mature eggs are then frozen with the help of technology of vitrification
AI ( Artificial Intelligence) can give you a score of live birth rate of these eggs in future . So its like quality check of ur eggs . It gives score on the eggs with the images of eggs .
Will this process remove all of my eggs?
A woman is born with one to two million immature oocytes (eggs) in her ovaries. Every month, a woman’s eggs grow as a cohort , one follicle (immature egg) becomes dominant and eventually ovulates, and the remainder of (non-dominant) follicles are lost through atresia. Thus, a woman will lose the majority of her eggs from atresia and not during ovulation. so in egg freezing By taking hormonal injections we try to grow few eggs from the cohort so we can remove them and freeze them . we are not touching her principal eggs
we are just targetting the eggs of that particular month .
How long will I be on medicine before the retrieval?
Injectable hormonal medications are required for an average of 10 to 12 days. While on medication, monitoring via ultrasound will typically be required 4 to 5 times. Once stimulated follicles have developed into mature eggs, which usually occurs after two weeks, you will undergo an egg retrieval
Can I still Work?
With the exception of your monitoring appointments, which will occur around 4 times for roughly two weeks, your work life will be uninterrupted. If you undergo a retrieval during the week, you will need to take off one day of work for the procedure. Weekend egg retrieval procedures are available, but precise timing of an egg retrieval is based on follicle development
What does it feel like to go through the egg freezing process?
Most women are nervous about the injections, then pleasantly surprised at how small and simple they are. During the egg retrieval you will be placed under sedation for the length of the procedure, which will take 15-30 minutes. Afterwards, you may experience bloating, spotting, and mild discomfort. Most women head back to work the next day. .