Cryopreservation is becoming a popular option among women.
In spite of becoming a growing trend among young women and, mostly, doctor approved, a study has shown that frozen eggs result in fewer IVF pregnancies, and should be considered by future mothers. There are a lot of advantages boasted about the process of cryopreservation of eggs, such as convenience, which has reportedly become an important option for many women.
Certain studies have even suggested that popular contraception methods might at some point become obsolete as a good majority of women could someday opt for freezing their eggs and then choose sterilization to avoid the common complications of birth control pills, implants or possible accidents of unwanted pregnancies. However, that is a long way away. At least it seems so.
Some companies, such as Google and Apple, are now paying for their female employees to undergo the procedure, so they may go forth full-force within their careers without a worry that they might one day realize they missed out on the proper chance of having a child due to advancing in their age. It provides most with a helpful option of building a strong career without potentially sacrificing another aspect of their life.
However, a new study has shown that it may not be the best choice for all women, proving a slight difference in success rates between using their own cryopreserved eggs or fresh eggs in IVF (in vitro fertilization), though the contrast may not be stark enough to eliminate it as a possibility. The researchers gathered data from 380 fertility clinics and reported their findings.
Among the 11,148 IVF cycles with donated eggs, 2,227 of women used frozen eggs and the live birth rate was reported at 43.2% among them. The percentage was a bit higher for women who had chosen embryos created from fresh eggs, at 49.6%, which means the process does affect the number of pregnancies, though not yet discovered why.
It has been suggested that cryopreservation affects the quality of an egg due to the freezing and then thawing required before being used in IVF, resulting in a smaller chances of success, according to lead author Dr. Vitaly Kushnir. No matter the age, there is a small risk associated with choosing to freeze eggs.
It’s still the best option for women who would undergo chemotherapy treatment for cancer or other procedures that will effectively lower their chances of having children in the future or destroy their ovarian reserve.
However, future mothers are now warned that there is a bit smaller percentage of success if their reasoning is of a more social nature, such as work, time, financial situation or a matter of convenience.
Image source: nrmvt.com
Melissa Gansler
