If you ask married couples what is the most precious gift of their relationship, the answer will be their children. No matter what country you are from, welcoming a child brings a common feeling of joy. This feeling can take a backseat when you can’t get pregnant, even after several attempts. When you try for more than a year but cannot conceive, the medical term infertility is used. It can cause a lot of mental stress. However, with the advancement of modern techniques, there are many treatment options for this condition. In many cases of infertility, there is an egg problem. There is the option of freezing the eggs in the early years when the eggs are produced in good quantity. To do this, you need to consult an egg freezing center.
Why do eggs get frozen?
Fertilization of the egg is a step that is taken long before pregnancy. It is considered as a first step to get pregnant at a later stage. Many women continue with this procedure because they do not have an active male partner. This is the main reason why they have not yet formed their family. In some cases, they put their career first and want to wait while they have a child, as it can be a hindrance. As they age, the likelihood of the egg developing decreases, leading to pregnancy problems. Frozen eggs do not age or age. The biological clock is stopped for them. Medical reasons also play a role. Cancer treatment directly affects the ovaries and can damage the eggs by causing premature menopause.
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing is a procedure that involves the preservation of a woman’s eggs. These are removed from the ovaries and stored for use later in life. They are frozen unfertilized, which is then thawed and combined with a sperm and implanted in the woman’s uterus during IVF to facilitate pregnancy. Egg freezing is basically done because the complication of infertility occurs mainly due to the deterioration of the germ cells. The uterus remains fully functional.
What are the associated risks?
Before continuing with this procedure, your oocyte freezing center will inform you of all the risks involved with this procedure. Some of the common risks include:
• You must be emotionally prepared because you are not 100 percent successful. There should be no false hopes. The process itself is a positive and empowering step, but not completely risk-free.
• You are given fertility drugs that can cause some medical conditions. The use of injectable fertility drugs causes ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome that causes mild abdominal pain, bloating, and nausea. In rare cases, fluids build up and there is also shortness of breath.
• There may also be complications in the egg retrieval procedure. The needle used to remove the egg causes bleeding and infection in the intestine, bladder, or a blood vessel.
How do you prepare for the procedure?
Before the process begins, egg freezing centers will have a few detection methods. The ovarian reserve test is done to determine the quantity and quality of your eggs. The results that will be obtained will help determine how the ovaries will respond to fertility drugs. You will also be screened for certain diseases, such as HIV. Once all the tests have been carried out, you can ask the doctor any questions you have.
How is the procedure performed?
There are two methods of freezing eggs:
• Slow freezing method: in this procedure, low concentrations of cryoprotectants are used. As soon as the metabolic rate of the eggs is reduced, the concentration increases.
• Vitrification: In this procedure, high initial concentrations of cryoprotectants are combined with cooling at a rapid rate. This is done so that intracellular ice crystals do not form.
