If you are still in your twenties or early thirties and harbour a desire to get pregnant, though not in the near future, but you are worried that your fertility may decline in the years to come, then you can consider novel medical procedures like Egg Freezing or Embryo Freezing.
The Channel 46 collaborated with Dr Hima Deepthi V, Fertility Consultant at Nova IVF Fertility, who explains what the processes or egg freezing and embryo freezing are, and shares advice on possible factors that can hamper your fertility.
What Is Egg Freezing & Embryo Freezing?
Egg freezing is a process by which female eggs are preserved for future use. It is also known as mature oocyte cryopreservation and helps in preserving a woman’s ability to get pregnant in the future. During this process, mature eggs are retrieved from your ovaries and preserved. Under embryo freezing, an egg can be extracted (fresh or frozen), combined with sperm in a lab (also known as in vitro fertilisation or IVF) and implanted into your uterus, according to your convenience, even if it would mean years later. If you would like to consider either egg or embryo freezing, your doctor can help you better in understanding how the process works, the risks associated with both and whether you should go for it considering your reproductive history and health.
Read: Is IVF Possible Among Women With Endometriosis? A Doctor Explains
5 Possible Situations Where You Can Opt For Egg Freezing & Embryo Freezing
Egg freezing is a novel method to better chances of pregnancy later in life. Here are certain factors that can hamper your fertility.
1. You have a health condition that can affect your fertility
Such conditions can include sickle cell anaemia, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, or gynaecological cancers, endometriosis, etc. which can drastically bring down your chances of conception occurring naturally.
2. You have to opt for treatment for any disease that can affect your fertility
Medical conditions like cancer can affect your ability to reproduce. Certain medical treatments that patients undergo during cancer treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy can adversely impact your fertility. In such cases, you would want to freeze your eggs in either fertilised or unfertilised form for later use.
Read: Everything You Need To Know About IVF In India, By A Doctor
3. You are opting for in-vitro fertilisation
When you opt for an IVF procedure, egg retrieval is part of the process. Many couples want to ensure that the retrieved egg is healthy and thus, opt for egg or embryo freezing in a healthy reproductive age, so that when they would like pregnancy to occur later in life, there are better chances of a successful pregnancy.
4. You have healthy eggs
The most obvious situation where a woman would like to opt for egg freezing or embryo freezing with the intent to conceive in the future is when she has healthy eggs. Egg freezing is a way to ensure that the egg that is to be fertilised is healthy. Many women do not want to get pregnant early in their life and this process allows them to freeze their good quality eggs for future use.
5. You have a poor egg reserve
When you have poor egg reserve, you can opt for pooling of eggs or embryos for use at a later date.
When To Consult A Doctor?
Before opting for the procedure, it is advisable to research well on the topic and take the guidance of a fertility expert. This would help you understand the timeline, the cost and also any risks that are associated with the process.
It is quite rare to face complications during these procedures and the complications associated with egg freezing are avoidable if you choose to do it with the right consultation from good fertility experts. Consulting a specialist will help you in determining what would be the best for you and what procedure you should go for.
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