Women nowadays want to be empowered and have some control over their reproductive future. They want to have the choice to pursue motherhood when they are ready. However, we do need to understand that fertility naturally declines with age, particularly after the mid-30s, and they may face some medical challenges. Fertility preservation empowers women by giving them control and allows women to freeze their eggs or embryos at a younger age, when their fertility potential is higher, thus extending their reproductive timeline.
Every woman is born with a fixed number of eggs (about 1-2 million at birth), which gradually reduces with age, from about 300,000 to 400,000 when she starts her periods to around 25000 at the age of 35 and just about 100 at menopause. More importantly, the egg quality also declines with age, says Dr Astha Dayal, Director, of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram. According to Dr Dayal advent of artificial reproductive techniques like IVF, embryo and egg preservation have become possible options for women who want to postpone getting pregnant. She suggests a few options too:
Egg freezing
One of the most commonly recommended methods is egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation. This procedure involves stimulating the ovaries with hormones to produce multiple eggs, which are then retrieved and frozen for future use. Egg freezing is particularly beneficial for women who need to undergo treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, which can damage ovarian function. By freezing eggs before treatment, women retain the possibility of conceiving using their own eggs in the future, even if their ovarian reserve diminishes.
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Embryo freezing
For married women who want to delay having children, embryo freezing is another viable option. This process is similar to egg freezing, but instead of freezing eggs alone, the retrieved eggs are fertilised with sperm to create embryos, which are then frozen. Embryo freezing is often chosen by women who are certain about their future plans for parenthood, as the success rates of implantation with embryos are generally higher than with frozen eggs.
Ovarian tissue freezing
Ovarian tissue freezing is a less common but promising option, particularly for young girls or women who cannot delay cancer treatment. In this procedure, a portion of ovarian tissue is surgically removed, frozen, and later reimplanted after treatment. This technique has the potential to restore hormonal function and fertility, though it is still considered experimental and is not widely available.
Hormonal suppression
For some women, temporarily suppressing ovarian function with medications like GnRH agonists during chemotherapy may offer protection against treatment-induced ovarian damage. This approach is less invasive than other methods, but its effectiveness varies and is often used in conjunction with other fertility preservation techniques.
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