Egg freezing a technology boon and a safe option; says Manipal Fertility

Women now have a reason to rejoice as egg freezing which is already a trend in the west is slowly catching the imagination of women who would like to postpone motherhood to achieve a certain career graph in their lives.

Egg freezing, technically called oocyte cryopreservation, involves stimulating, extracting, freezing, and storing a woman’s eggs (oocytes). The eggs can be thawed months, or even years, later and fertilized, creating embryos. These embryos then can be transferred to the uterus in an attempt to achieve a successful pregnancy.

Cryopreservation has been around for decades but gained prominence in October 2014, when two large US corporations, Facebook Inc. and Apple Inc., announced they would pay up to $20,000 to their female employees for freezing their eggs and pursuing their careers.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Gincy Mathew, IVF Specialist and Consultant Reproductive Medicine Manipal Fertility Ongole said, “Timing is the key for egg preservation. Ensuring that the eggs are banked at the "right" time is important.

The best outcomes for egg freezing is when women opt for freezing eggs before 30 yrs of age, as it gives an advantage of premium egg quality and quantity. Cryopreservation is an "empowering" alternative for women whose career aspirations take precedence over having a baby or for those who believe they haven't found the "right partner" yet.

She further added, “Manipal Fertility Ongole offers this facility to women who are wanting to postpone child bearing in order to peruse career or other goals either due to social reasons or extreme medical condition like cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy.

Few women might experience early menopause (premature ovarian failure) are genetically linked. Egg freezing offers a chance to preserve eggs before they are all depleted.” In oocyte cryopreservation, the eggs are harvested by a process similar to the normal IVF cycle.

The patient will be made to grow more eggs, with the help of hormonal injections, which are patient-friendly and can in most cases, be self-administered. The eggs are later retrieved by a 10-minute procedure under short anesthesia. The patient can resume normal life within a day.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Gincy Mathew, IVF Specialist & Consultant Reproductive Medicine Manipal Fertility Ongole “A technique called “Vitrification” has revolutionized our ability to safely and successfully freeze a woman’s eggs.

With Vitrification, ultra-rapid cooling rates protect the egg from ice crystal formation, and consequently, the eggs are much less likely to fracture while they are being thawed. And they retain their original characteristics. At Manipal Fertility, we have expertise in both slow-freeze and Vitrification methods. Currently, we use Vitrification for all egg freezing.”

It is important for women to get complete information before going for the process. They must visit a specialty center that has expertise of clinician and embryology team and technology to both freeze and that at a later date with stringent quality process. Though there are limitations for this process but it definitely is a great milestone for assisted reproduction and a boon to women.