Fertility Preservation- Everything Explained by the Fertility Specialist Dr. Vyjayanthi

Fertility preservation involves freezing of eggs, sperms, embryos, or even reproductive tissue so that one can hopefully have their own biological family in the future. This article explains various types of fertility preservation techniques and why one may have to preserve their fertility, and what exactly the fertility preservation process involves?

Why preserve your fertility?

Fertility preservation is very useful when people face the risk of losing their fertility.

Fertility Preservation is precisely categorized into two types:

1. Social Fertility preservation 
2. Oncology fertility preservation

Fertility preservation for social reasons –

Today, most of the women who are in their late 20s or early 30s who would want to preserve fertility as they are still not determined when to start their family. While reasons may vary, but the goal is the same: women want to maximize the chances of having a healthy baby when they want. 

The opportunity to cheat the biological clock was not possible years ago, but now women can take charge of their future through fertility preservation techniques.

Here are 5 common social reasons why one should preserve their fertility:

• Want kids someday, but not right now
• Want to pursue your career
• Focus on your business or have other life plans 
• Waiting to find the right partner 
• You don’t feel emotionally or financially ready

If you want to start a family in the future, but not right now and not everyone feels ready for motherhood. If so, fertility preservation techniques help you gain control over your reproductive life. 

More and more women are resorting to this and mainly because of lifestyle issues that the women want to plan their pregnancy later in life once their career has reached a certain level. For those women, we at MotherToBe fertility centre in Hyderabad offer egg freezing which is a useful technique for saving good-quality eggs for later use in their lives, when they are ready.

MotherToBe fertility clinic also offers oocyte cryopreservation or if necessary embryo cryopreservation as the case would be. These techniques by which we will be able to help the majority of the women who want to delay their pregnancy and want to preserve their fertility for the future. 

Oncology fertility preservation

Life is full of twists and turns- we never know that health issues might threaten fertility. Oncology or in patients diagnosed with cancer. Patients who are having certain kinds of cancer may have to undergo cancer treatments including radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Medical treatments for cancer and other conditions can compromise the fertility of both men and women. 

Such treatments can badly affect gametes, impact egg, and sperm health. Considering the freezing of your eggs, sperms, or embryos prior to treatments is the best way to preserve your fertility. 

We at MotherToBe Fertility Center have the provisions for sperm cryopreservation in the case of a male. In the case of a female, if they are unmarried, we offer what is called an oocyte or EGG freezing or cryopreservation and, if they are married, we offer embryo cryopreservation.

Sperm Cryopreservation

Sperm cryopreservation is also known as a semen banking technique used to preserve sperms by freezing and storing at low temperatures in liquid nitrogen while maintaining a reasonable quality. The frozen sperms can be used on a later date for fertilizing an egg. 

First, the semen analysis will be done to screen for any infectious diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis, etc. Later, the quality and quantity of sperm are tested and the viable ones are cryopreserved. 

What Oocyte or Egg Cryopreservation Involves?

Usually when women present for fertility preservation and if it is either the oocyte or the embryo preservation, they go through the process called IVF which involves hormone injections for about ten days. Taking drugs will help in boosting egg production and also helps to get the eggs mature. 

We then collect the eggs outside and if it is oocyte cryopreservation they go through the process of vitrification where eggs will be mixed with a cryoprotectant (freezing solution) and the oocytes are frozen. 

Of all the available means of fertility preservation oocyte or egg cryopreservation provides the best possible outcomes.

Embryo Freezing 

When it is regarding embryo cryopreservation we mix the oocytes with the husband’s sperm, make the embryo, and then they are cryopreserved. 

So, the men and women who are following the oncology treatment, once they’re ready to start a family and if the gamete function has not come back and they have fertility issues then they’ll be able to fall back on this cryopreserved embryos or gametes so that they’ll be able to have their own genetic child. 

Each patient circumstances are unique, based on age, sex, and medical condition, and also timing to start treatments, there could be one or more reasonable options. If you are interested in learning more about fertility preservation or else considering cryopreservation to preserve your fertility then make an appointment with a fertility specialist in Hyderabad. An experienced fertility specialist like Dr. Vyjayanthi could review your situation, analyze, discuss your options, and help you out to make the best decision. Appointment here.