Fertility Preservation for all
Protecting and preserving fertility is a new way of empowering reproductive choice. The fertility of youth is no longer a limited resource, constrained by age. Women can now pursue their reproductive lives at their own pace, rather than according to the obligations of biology. Reproductive choice means having children when you want them, rather than when you must have them.
Fertility preservation, specifically egg freezing, is changing the way we think about building families. Through fertility preservation, eggs can be stored and saved for use later.
The potential of fertility preservation replaces the tick of the biological clock Eggs work best at a young age, when there are more of them, and they are more vital. The best pregnancy rates occur in women ages 18-30. With declining egg numbers and egg quality, pregnancy rates are lower in older age groups, while miscarriage rates and chromosome defects become more common.
Fertility preservation provides the potential for protection against future infertility
Fertility preservation is a relatively simple process. The first step is for a woman to go for an ultrasound and physical exam. On ultrasound the ovaries are measured and the number of follicles determined. A treatment calendar with a schedule of injectable fertility drugs is initiated.
Using fertility medications for approximately ten days, multiple eggs begin to mature in the ovaries. Under sedation, the eggs are retrieved, a process that takes about 10-15 minutes. The eggs are then cryopreserved and placed in frozen storage.
At a later time, the eggs can be thawed, inseminated with sperm (ICSI is recommended), and the embryo(s) created transferred back into the uterus to develop into a pregnancy.