Individuals across metro and non-metro areas have a heightened inclination for delayed motherhood. One of the ways this has been made possible is through egg freezing.
Oocyte Cryopreservation: Egg Freezing
Oocyte cryopreservation, or egg freezing, refers to the process in which the oocytes, or eggs, of a woman are extracted, frozen, and kept. This is done to maintain a woman's reproductive potential in the reproductive age as fertility declines over time.
The approach has granted several women the flexibility to choose when to enter the stage of motherhood. It gives options to those who want to delay the childbearing process for personal reasons while keeping their potential to have biological children later on.
How Does Egg Freezing Work?
As a woman ages, her egg quality usually declines. These eggs could contain more abnormalities in the chromosomes. Moreover, women will also stop ovulating post-menopause, which implies that their ovaries will no longer release eggs.
Hence, if a woman wants to have a child but is not yet ready or able to conceive at present, her eggs can be frozen at a special facility. These eggs can then be used later on.
Before the egg-freezing process, a physician will conduct a comprehensive check on medical history, focusing more on fertility. This physician will also examine the menstrual cycle regularly and conduct blood tests to examine hormone levels.
A woman's ovaries typically release one egg each month. When fewer eggs are available for freezing, the chances of having a successful pregnancy go down. To maximize the number of eggs available, a woman must undergo hormone treatment to stimulate more egg production. This typically requires the injection of hormones at home. Most women typically take birth control pills for one month or more prior to receiving these injections. These pills suppress their natural cycle and increase hormone effectiveness.
A physician will then regularly conduct blood tests to examine hormone treatment effects. The woman must also undergo an ultrasound at least once to detect ovulation and assess egg development.
After the eggs ripen, the physician inserts a needle into the follicles of the ovaries to get the eggs. In most cases, an ultrasound usually guides the procedure. However, if the eggs cannot be seen via imaging, the doctor may need to perform an abdominal surgery to remove these eggs.
After retrieving the egg, freezing will happen as soon as possible. However, the eggs contain water, which could end up damaging ice crystals if the freezing immediately takes place. To stop this from happening, a special solution has to be injected by the doctor prior to freezing the eggs.
Using Frozen Eggs
When a woman wants to use her eggs in the future, she must undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF). This process involves a fertility specialist fertilizing the egg inside the lab and making use of sperm taken from the partner of the woman or a donor.
If IVF works, both the egg and sperm become an embryo that experiences implantation within the uterus of a woman after a few days. In most cases, fertility clinics try nurturing several embryos simultaneously to increase successful pregnancy chances.
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