OOCYTE VITRIFICATION

Fertility Preservation Option For Young Women Requiring Potentially Sterilized (Medical And Surgical) Treatments.
Option For Delaying Motherhood.

Fertility preservation is a critical consideration for young women facing medical or surgical treatments that may impact their reproductive function. Several options are available to preserve fertility and offer the possibility of having biological children in the future. Additionally, these options can be valuable for women who wish to delay motherhood for personal or professional reasons. Here are some common fertility preservation methods:

1. Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation):
   • This is a widely used technique where a woman’s eggs (oocytes) are retrieved, frozen, and stored for future use.
   • Before starting cancer treatments or other procedures that may affect fertility, the woman undergoes ovarian stimulation to produce multiple eggs, which are then retrieved and frozen.
   • The frozen eggs can be thawed later, fertilized with sperm, and the resulting embryos can be transferred to the uterus when the woman is ready to conceive.
2. Embryo Cryopreservation:
   • Similar to egg freezing, but in this case, the eggs are fertilized with sperm to create embryos before being frozen.
   • This option requires the use of a sperm donor or a male partner. The frozen embryos can be thawed and transferred to the uterus in the future.
3. Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation:
   • A surgical procedure involves removing a small piece of ovarian tissue, which contains follicles (immature eggs).
   • The tissue is frozen and stored. When the woman is ready to conceive, the tissue can be thawed and transplanted back into the ovaries, where it can resume normal function.
4. Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Agonist Suppression:
   • This involves the temporary suppression of ovarian function using GnRH agonists during cancer treatment.
   • By suppressing ovarian function, the idea is to reduce the impact of certain treatments on the ovaries and potentially preserve fertility.
5. In Vitro Maturation (IVM):
   • Immature eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and matured in the laboratory before being frozen.
   • IVM is an alternative to traditional ovarian stimulation for egg retrieval.
6. Fertility Preservation Before Gender-Affirming Treatments:
   • Transgender women (assigned male at birth) may choose to preserve sperm before starting gender-affirming hormone therapy or surgery.

It’s essential for women considering fertility preservation to consult with a fertility specialist or reproductive endocrinologist. The choice of method depends on various factors, including the woman’s age, the urgency of the medical treatment, and individual health considerations.