Do you want to postpone your pregnancy yet preserve your fertility? At Apollo Fertility, we have state-of-the-art infrastructure and advanced lab facilities for conducting the oocyte vitrification procedure.
What is Oocyte Vitrification?
Oocyte Vitrification is one of the highly recommended assisted reproduction technologies that involves preserving fertility for a woman by freezing the oocytes or eggs at sub-zero temperatures for a long time. Our team of skilled and experienced doctors examines and extracts the oocytes for vitrification after treating them with cryoprotective additives. The cryoprotective additives (CPA) prevent the formation of ice and hence prevent cryodamage. With oocyte vitrification, women can even become pregnant or choose to conceive upon reaching middle age without experiencing issues related to oocyte reserve depletion.
Procedure for Oocyte Vitrification
Our expert doctors undergo a complete assessment and checkup before starting the procedure. We make sure that the patient’s body is thoroughly prepared for fresh retrieval of the highest quality egg for preservation. Here is the procedure we follow at Apollo Fertility for successful oocyte vitrification:
- Follicular stimulation: This is the first step for the vitrification of oocytes. It involves the injection of hormones around the ovaries to stimulate follicular production.
- Egg cell retrieval: This process involves the retrieval of the egg cells after the follicular stimulation process is complete. There is a complete examination of the oocyte before initiating the preservation process. The eggs are not fertilized with sperm but are vitrified.
- Egg vitrification: Once the eggs are of appropriate size and quality, it is mixed with cryoprotective agents and preserved in liquid nitrogen. The cryoprotective agent prevents the formation of ice, and it is kept at a temperature of -196°C or -321°F.
The vitrified eggs can be retrieved later for in-vitro fertilization. The eggs will be thawed and fertilized with sperm for the development of an embryo, which is later transferred to the uterus.
Who is the oocyte vitrification procedure recommended?
Pregnancy is a roller coaster ride, and the responsibility of becoming a parent brings changes in a way one cannot even anticipate. However, with the biological clock ticking, it’s not always easy to get pregnant or conceive naturally after a certain age. Here is when oocyte vitrification is highly recommended:
- Preserving eggs for later use: Pregnancy rates are highly affected by the age of a female’s eggs and overall oocyte reserve. If you are not ready to get pregnant young, you can prolong your fertility by vitrifying young eggs for future use.
- Patients about to undergo treatment: Rigorous and complicated medical treatments like chemotherapy affect fertility potential in the future. The vitrification procedure allows patients to preserve their oocytes before enduring treatments that have the potential to impact oocyte quality.
- In-vitro fertilization: The vitrified egg is later thawed and fertilized with the sperm for in-vitro fertilization for embryo production. It is recommended for patients at risk of hyperstimulation and hence unable to complete a fresh cycle.
Results and success rate of oocyte vitrification
Numerous factors come into play that overall determine the success of the oocyte vitrification process. The main advantage of the oocyte vitrification process is it does not produce ice crystals and hence has an almost 97% chance of successful oocyte freezing. One of the most effective methods is the Cryotop method, which has helped with a 65% successful pregnancy rate and implantation rates by 40%.
At Apollo Fertility Clinic, a complete assessment and diagnosis are conducted before hormonal stimulation of the follicles. The oocytes are lab tested and checked for quality ensuring only good-quality oocyte is vitrified. Plan your pregnancy later without having to worry about oocyte reserve through the oocyte vitrification process.
You can request an appointment easily at Apollo Fertility, Banjara Hills, for a consultation by calling 1860 500 4424.
Oocyte vitrification involves flash freezing that instantly cools the oocyte and stored at -196°C. The process is preferred it reduces chances of ice formation, freezing is quick and economical.
Yes, it is highly recommended if she is in her fertile age and what to conceive or start a family later. Chemotherapy impact oocyte quality. hence the preservation before starting the treatment will help retrieval of good quality egg or oocyte.
The oocyte preservation process depends on how long you want to store the eggs. Usually, the egg retrieval process starts from Rs 10000 and every year there is a charge for storage.
Yes, it is recommended. The oocyte can be retrieved later and fertilized with sperm to form embryo in-vitro. This further can be implanted in the uterus of the surrogate mother.
There might be complicated in the egg retrieval process. The ovarian stimulation process might cause symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, irritation etc. Also, if the oocytes are not properly frozen, it might increase risk of abnormalities or congenital conditions.
