Egg Freezing, Method to Increase Pregnancy Chance in Old Age

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Egg Freezing, Method to Increase Pregnancy Chance in Old Age
Egg Freezing, Method to Increase Pregnancy Chance in Old Age
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Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) is a method used to maintain a woman's ability and chance to get pregnant at an advanced age. This method can be an option for women who have special he alth conditions or women who are not ready to get pregnant at childbearing age

Egg freezing is a medical procedure that involves taking eggs from the uterus, then freezing them and storing them in a laboratory. This frozen egg can later be thawed and then fertilized with sperm and implanted back in the uterus.

Egg Freezing, Method to Increase Pregnancy Chances in Old Age - Alodokter
Egg Freezing, Method to Increase Pregnancy Chances in Old Age - Alodokter

When is Egg Freezing Needed?

Please note, a woman will be at her most fertile at the age of 20-30 years. This is because at that age range, the egg is at its best quality.

However, as we age, the quality of the egg also declines. This can make it more difficult for older women to get pregnant or have a high-risk pregnancy.

To avoid these various risks, women of childbearing age who want to delay pregnancy, give birth, or have certain he alth conditions, can do egg freezing.

The goal is to preserve eggs that are still of good quality, so that if the woman wants to get pregnant later, she still has he althy quality eggs.

Well, some conditions in women that may need to do egg freezing are:

  • Feeling not ready to have children when they are fertile, but planning to have children in the future
  • Suffering from a he alth disorder that affects fertility, such as sickle cell anemia or an autoimmune disease, such as lupus
  • Are taking medication or treatments that reduce fertility, such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy
  • Are planning IVF program (in vitro fertilization)

The chance of pregnancy from egg freezing is around 30–60%. However, the high or low chance of pregnancy depends on the woman's age at the time of egg freezing.

In addition, because the egg freeezing method is relatively new, more data is still needed to determine a more accurate egg freezing success rate.

The Process of Doing Egg Freezing

If you are planning on egg freezing, it is important to know that this procedure can take months. The reason is, there are quite a lot of egg freezing processes that you need to go through.

At first, you will be asked to do some tests to detect certain diseases, such as HIV or hepatitis.

After that, you will undergo a preparation process similar to the process of preparing for IVF procedures. This includes giving hormone injections and drugs for the maturation process of the egg.

When about 6–15 eggs have matured, the next process is taking eggs from the ovaries using a special tool that will be inserted through the vagina. During this process, you will be given general anesthesia.

The eggs that have been taken will be frozen by a vitrification procedure for further storage so that they can be used at a later date. The shelf life of frozen eggs is usually a maximum of 10 years.

When you want to use it later, the egg will be melted and the one that is still intact will be brought together with the sperm cell for fertilization to occur. After being fertilized, then this prospective zygote will be implanted back into the uterus.

Keep in mind, the egg freezing method also has some risks of side effects, such as it can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, infection, and bleeding during the process of taking eggs from the ovaries. Also, there is no guarantee that the egg freezing method will work.

Therefore, if you intend to do egg freezing, it's a good idea to consult with your doctor first, both about the conditions you are experiencing, the chances of pregnancy in the future, the risks that can occur, and the costs you have to pay. to perform the egg freezing procedure.

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