Cryopreservation is a fertility preservation option more and more men and women are looking into nowadays. It is basically the acquisition of sperm or egg and freezing them and putting them into storage for the purpose of future use. This type of preservation can also be done with embryos.

It is a widely taken option for patients who are going to have medical treatment or procedures done and fear that it will interfere with their reproductive ability. Sperm and egg freezing are also options looked into by couples who do not plan to have children soon but want to make the most of the present fertility. Embryo freezing, meanwhile, is more popular with couples who’ve already conceived via IVF and want to make the most out of the procedure. 

Because of women’s naturally depleting ovarian reserve, it is more common for female patients to make use of cryopreservation for social reasons. It is known that beginning in their 30s, egg quantity — not to mention quality — lessen, making pregnancy more difficult. 

With egg freezing, the female may have her eggs extracted as soon as possible, and she can preserve her eggs in their optimal state and have them fertilized via when she wishes in the future.

The process involves a period of stimulation medication that will make her produce several eggs, or oocytes, and once there are enough mature ones, they will be harvested. Harvesting is done via a needle inserted into the vagina which, aided by a suction, extracts the eggs directly from the ovaries.

Males typically do not require reproductive assisting measures until much later in life, such as in their 50s or 60s, since sperm quality does not decline significantly until then. With that, males who do undergo sperm freezing tend to do so because of medical reasons such as the possibility of having to undergo a vasectomy while still wanting to have children.

Unlike females, extraction of sperm does not require any special procedure except if there is a blockage in the male’s reproductive anatomy keeping the sperm from reaching the ejaculate. In such cases, testicular sperm extraction may be done and the sperm shall be retrieved directly from the testicles via a minor surgical procedure. 

Couples who have gone through the processes involved in in-vitro fertilization know how difficult as well as costly it can get, which is why it’s completely understandable for them to make the most of a single round of treatment should they be successful. With embryo freezing, couples will no longer have to go through the entire process again the next time they decide to have another IVF baby. 

Cryopreservation is definitely an option that both budding parents, as well as those simply looking to preserve their fertility, should look into. Consulting with specialists regarding medical history as well as any issues relating to fertility is always a good idea. Learn more about what you can do and explore your options today. 

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