What is Cryopreservation? Understanding its Benefits and Risks
Cryopreservation is a technique used to store sperm, eggs or embryos at extremely low temperatures using cryogenic technology. These sperm, eggs or embryos can be utilized in the future for conceiving a child. There are a number of reasons why an individual or a couple would like to store them. These reasons include social reasons, career choices or an impending treatment like Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses radiation, which can impact the individual's fertility. Sometimes, women like to secure their eggs at an early age. This storage ensures they can conceive even in the later stage of their life without worrying about a reduction in fertility.
The Procedure
Cryopreservation is an advanced technique. At Apollo Fertility Guwahati, we help our patients store their Sperm, Eggs or Embryo for future use. Sperm Freezing: Sperm is preserved for future use in the treatments like IVF and IUI. For this, your doctor or the sperm bank will ask you to submit your semen. Your semen will be tested to determine the sperm concentration before storage. If there is no sperm in the semen, your doctor might recommend a sperm extraction procedure. Egg Freezing: You can preserve your eggs for future use via Cryopreservation. Before harvesting your eggs, your doctor might recommend you take some medications. These medications can stimulate your ovaries to produce more eggs from follicles than average. When the eggs are matured enough, they are harvested and stored after oocyte vitrification in the fertility clinic below -196.1á´¼ C. This extends the life of the eggs exponentially. When needed, the eggs can be thawed and utilized in the processes like IUI or IVF. Embryo Freezing: If a couple wishes to store an embryo using Cryopreservation, we have a facility for that too. Here, female eggs are fertilized with the partner's sperm. Once the egg is fertilized, it's cultured for a few days until it develops into an embryo. Once the embryo is mature enough, it's stored at our advanced fertility lab and can be implanted into the female's uterus in the future.
Risks related to Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is one of the most advanced and practical methods to ensure the preservation of sperm and eggs. Even the success ratio of IVF and IUI treatments is better with frozen sperm and eggs in some cases. Still, you should be aware of some risks related to Cryopreservation. Here are a few of them. · Side-effects: Ovarian stimulation medications that you will have to take to produce more eggs can have some side effects in the later stage of life · Damage: Although we use some of the most sophisticated and advanced techniques to preserve the eggs, sperm and embryo, not all survive the freeze-thaw process. · Failure to get pregnant: As mentioned earlier, not all sperm, eggs or embryo survive Cryopreservation. So your doctor will have to store them in multiples. Cryopreservation can help secure your sperm, eggs or embryos for future use. The risks mentioned above are pretty rare and the success ratio at Apollo Fertility Guwahati is very high.
What are the benefits of Cryopreservation?
Cryopreservation can help people get pregnant in the future, avoiding many issues. The benefits of Cryopreservation include · Ability to conceive even in the later stage of life when fertility is low. · It helps in focusing your career at present without worrying about pregnancy in the future. · It helps secure your sperm or eggs before you undergo fertility-damaging treatments like Chemotherapy. · Help single women conceive a child in the later stage with the donor’s sperm. Dealing with infertility can put you under a lot of stress. The social stigma towards infertile couples, too, can be challenging to bear. But, you don't have to worry about Apollo Fertility, Guwahati at your back. We have helped hundreds of couples achieve their dream of parenthood, no matter what prevents them from becoming one.
Frozen and thawed embryos might have better chances of growing, but more research is being conducted. There is no concrete evidence to support it.
There is no exact number, but the sperm, eggs or embryo can survive upto 12 years with a better storage facility.
It’s very successful. Your doctor will discuss with you in detail the success ratio, during your consultation.
Yes, they can. But the success ratio depends on different factors, including the age and health condition of the receiver.
The right age is before 35, as fertility starts declining after 35 years.
Treatments
