Exploring Fertility Preservation Techniques - Egg, Embryo & Sperm Freezing

Exploring Fertility Preservation Techniques - Egg, Embryo & Sperm Freezing

Fertility declines with age, especially in women, whose peak reproductive years are between 18 and 30. However, many women delay childbirth due to career or personal reasons. Fertility preservation techniques, such as egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation), allow women to store high-quality eggs for future use via IVF. Ideal candidates are women in their 20s and early 30s who want to maintain their reproductive options. The process involves ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and vitrification (flash-freezing). Another option is embryo freezing (embryo cryopreservation), where fertilized eggs are stored, often recommended for couples planning for the future. Sperm freezing (sperm cryopreservation) is available for men, especially those over 45 or undergoing medical treatments. These techniques also help patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery that could affect fertility.

For personalized guidance, consult the Kauvery Fertility Center, where experienced gynecologists can help determine the best fertility preservation strategy for you.

Fertility declines with age, especially in women. A woman’s peak reproductive years are generally between 18 and 30 years. As women age, the number of egg cells in the ovaries and their viability and quality deteriorates. These changes are not visible or apparent, but they are happening to women gradually from the age of 30. However, according to current societal norms, many women are not ready to have children until their mid 30s. Fertility preservation allows women who want to become mothers later in life keep that window of opportunity open for a few more years. Fertility preservation techniques involve extracting and preserving, usually through freezing, reproductive cells for future use, through IVF or other assisted reproductive techniques.

Men also experience a decline in fertility with age. However, male fertility declines much later than its female counterpart, usually around 45 years of age. Patients who undergo chemotherapy, radiation or surgery for conditions like cancer, endometriosis or autoimmune disease may also find that their fertility deteriorates rapidly. Fertility preservation techniques can also help in such cases.

Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is a fertility preservation method where a woman’s eggs are retrieved, frozen, and stored for future use. This allows women to delay pregnancy while maintaining the quality of their eggs from a younger age.

Women in their 20s and early 30s, who want to have the option of having biological children later in life, are the ideal candidates for oocyte cryopreservation. This is especially true for ambitious, educated women in the current social order, who hope to focus on their careers first, but still want the option to settle down once they have achieved some success and be mothers. Why shouldn’t women have it all?

If you are unsure whether freezing your eggs is the right step for you, please set up a consultation with us at the Kauvery Fertility Center. Our experienced gynaecologists can provide insight into what the right medical treatment is for your fertility goals.

Timelines may vary, but typically the entire egg freezing process takes about 3 weeks. Although it is a multi-step forward, it is fairly straight forward:

Consultation – This is the first step, when a patient visits our Fertility Center to discuss fertility preservation. Our fertility experts begin with a medical exam to assess the patient’s ovarian reserve. This is the number of egg cells the patient has remaining in their ovaries. The fertility specialist will use this baseline data to advise the patient on their options.

Ovarian Stimulation – The doctor will prescribe the patient medication to stimulate the ovaries to induce the production of many egg cells simultaneously. This is called super-ovulation. The hormone injections can be administered at home every day. The nurses can help show you exactly how to give yourself the injections, or demonstrate it to your partner. The doctor will monitor the patient during this process. They may adjust the dosage if required. Once the egg cells are almost mature, the doctor will schedule the egg retrieval procedure.

Egg retrieval – The egg retrieval procedure is a minor surgical procedure. Before the egg cells are harvested, the patient receives a trigger shot consisting of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or Lupron or both. This final dose of hormones ensures the egg cells are ready. Egg retrieval typically happens about 36 hours after the trigger shot. The timing of this is crucial, so listen to your doctor’s instructions carefully.

Cryopreservation – The retrieved egg cells are put into storage, usually in an embryology lab. The egg cells go through a process of “flash-freezing” called vitrification. They are placed in a deep freeze, in liquid nitrogen tanks. The egg cells are preserved in this state until the patient is ready to use them.

Embryo Cryopreservation is, in concept, very similar to freezing your eggs. The first part of the procedure is identical. However, in the case of embryo preservation, a male partner or sperm donor are typically involved. The female patient undergoes ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval first. Once the egg cells are harvested, they are mixed with semen from the male partner or sperm donor. The process of fertilisation occurs, and embryos are formed. The fertility specialist tests the embryos and chooses the most viable ones for cryopreservation.

This technique of fertility preservation is often recommended to couples who have decided to have biological children, but do not want to initiate a pregnancy immediately. Frozen embryos are generally preferred over frozen eggs because they have a higher chance of resulting in a pregnancy.

Sperm cryopreservation, also known as sperm banking, is a technique used to preserve male fertility. It involves long-term storage of a male patient’s sperm cells, to use in assisted reproductive techniques like IVF in the future. The process consists of 3 steps – semen collection, freezing and cold storage. Cryogenically preserved sperm can be viable for decades. However, this depends on the quality of the sperm. Men who are older than 45 years, men who are undergoing treatment for cancer, and men with life-endangering jobs, like military personnel, are recommended this procedure if they plan to have biological children in the future.

At Kauvery Hospital, with branches in Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli, and Trichy, we believe in preserving your options for parenthood. Our expert fertility team provides personalized guidance and advanced fertility preservation techniques to safeguard your future reproductive choices. Trust us to partner with you in your journey towards creating a family, when the time is right for you. Reach out to us today to explore your possibilities.

What is fertility preservation?
Fertility preservation is the process of freezing eggs, embryos, or sperm to keep your options open for having children in the future.

Who can benefit from fertility preservation?
Women who wish to delay childbirth and men facing age or medical challenges can use these techniques to maintain their fertility.

What is egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation)?
Egg freezing involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, retrieving them, and then freezing them for later use.

How does embryo freezing differ from egg freezing?
With embryo freezing, eggs are fertilized with sperm to form embryos before they are frozen, often giving a higher chance of pregnancy later.

What steps are involved in the egg freezing process?
The process includes consultation, ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and finally, freezing (vitrification) of the eggs.

What is sperm cryopreservation?
Sperm cryopreservation is the process of collecting, freezing, and storing sperm cells, which can be used later for fertility treatments.

Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai (Alwarpet & Vadapalani), Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

Chennai Alwarpet – 044 4000 6000 •  Chennai Vadapalani – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801