IVF (in vitro fertilization) is a scientific process of collection of sperms and eggs separately from male and female partner respectively and then fertilizing them together to create healthy embryos and then replacing them into the female partner’s uterus. There is a growing tendency to freeze sperm or eggs or even the embryos. If properly done, these can be stored safely for as many as ten years. Let us look at what this means.
Liquid nitrogen is usually used for flash freezing (vitrifying) the eggs, sperm or embryos. There is a distinction between Freezing Egg vs. Embryo Freezing, though. If you are a woman who is older than 30 years old, then you might be worried that your eggs might not be healthy and fertile after another decade. Therefore you might want to Freeze your eggs in their present condition and go in for fertilization when you are ready. The other way is to fertilize the sperm and egg and wait for the healthy fertilized embryo to be formed. Once they are ready, you can employ Embryo Freezing Techniques to preserve the healthy embryos and transfer them to your uterus when you are ready or to the uterus of a surrogate mother.
Is it better to freeze eggs or embryos? This is a question you might be asking yourself now. When you freeze your eggs, you get several options for the subsequent part of your plan to have a baby. But when you freeze your embryos, then you have already decided who the father of your child is going to be. When you are finally ready to have your baby, it might be a problem if you develop differences with your partner. On the other hand, with embryo freezing with healthy embryos, a fresh IVF or ISCI cycle needn’t be started again later, and you can simply use the frozen embryos.
Let us look in detail at some specific Embryo Freezing Pros and Cons below.
Pros :
• It gives you the freedom to plan and time the birth of your child.
• You are protected from the possibilities of falling health later for either your partner or you.
• Only the healthy embryos are selected and taken for freezing, improving the chances for a healthy baby because we are witnessing much better Embryo Freezing Rates.
• Further IVF cycles wouldn’t be needed in future at a more advanced age.
Cons :
• The possible fallout with your male partner at a later date can lead to a lot of heartburn.
• Your success in getting a healthy baby would not depend only on the successful freezing of the embryo, but also the successful completion of the entire cycle.
Before Egg, Sperm and Embryo Freezing can be initiated, it is important to speak to the medical team and understand every aspect of the process, including possible risks, the historical success rates and also dos and don’ts for you before, during and after the procedure. The diet to be followed is also very important. In return, the medical team carrying out the procedure would need to be given the consent of both you partners in writing.
Specifically, you need to ask the medical team regarding FAQ about Embryo Freezing, some of which are mentioned below :
1. What is the purpose
2. What are the risks associated
3. What is the period for which frozen eggs, sperm or embryos can be preserved
4. Are there any lifestyle changes needed before sample collection
5. What foods and fluids are encouraged and which are not to be taken
6. What could be the cost of the procedure
7. How frequently would you need to come back for checkups and tests
