Women who delay childbearing due to personal circumstances now have the option of freezing their own embryos or eggs to be fertilized and implanted at a later date. Egg freezing enables women to take advantage of their body’s fertility at a time when eggs are at their healthiest.

As a woman you are born with two ovaries, each containing resting eggs or follicles. At 20 weeks gestation you have about 6 million eggs, which is the largest number of eggs you will ever have in your lifetime. At birth you will lose approximately half of your eggs, and by the time you reach puberty you will only have about 200,000 eggs left. The rate at which eggs are lost is also thought to accelerate during the late 30s and early 40s. This decline is part of the natural aging process and is commonly referred to as a woman’s biological clock. 

As you age, your egg quantity and quality will continue to decrease. Understandably, diminished egg quality and quantity can significantly impact your ability to conceive. Miscarriages and chromosomal defects become more common with later age pregnancy.

Women who may benefit from egg freezing include :

• Women up to the age of 40 who do not currently have a male partner or prefer not to use donor sperm and want to keep fertility potential for later use. 
• Younger women who want to delay childbearing. They can freeze their eggs for use in the future when their natural ability to reproduce would otherwise be reduced.
• Women with upcoming pelvic surgery or medical treatments that could result in the loss of ovarian tissue or eggs. This includes women with benign diseases such as ovarian cysts and endometriosis, as well as cancer.
• Women at risk for early menopause because of family history or genetic reasons.
  

Helping Cancer Patients Keep the Dream of a Future Family Alive

We believe that everyone has the right to have a family. A cancer diagnosis should not compromise this basic right. Most cancer treatments including radiation and chemotherapy, and in many cases these treatments render the patient infertile or significantly compromises their fertility. 

At Precision IVF, Dr. Arya acknowledges the urgency to offer fertility preservation treatment knowing that many times cancer treatment has to start immediately. 

When someone is diagnosed with cancer the primary goal is recovery. Sometimes the patient is aware that her fertility could be impacted with cancer treatment but is so overwhelmed and exhausted that she puts the future fertility thoughts aside.

Our goal is to make a fertility preserving treatment as simple as possible during a time of physical, emotional, and financial stress. 

In the past several years, egg freezing technology has advanced to the point where it is truly a viable option for preserving fertility.

Key Facts:

Based on studies, there is a 70 to 80 percent chance of taking home a baby for women younger than 38, when 15 to 20 mature eggs were frozen. For women 38 to 40 years old, we recommend freezing 25 to 30 mature eggs when feasible, giving them a 65 to 75 percent chance of at least one live birth. 

Of the estimated 1.5 million men and women who were diagnosed as having cancer in 2010, approximately 10 percent are younger than 45 years. Fortunately, with improved cancer treatment, overall five-year survival for all cancers among children, adolescents, and young adults is now 80 percent.

We have partnered with a number of providers that have generously offered their products and services at a significantly reduced cost, especially for fertility medications.  If you or someone you know is facing cancer treatment that could threaten their fertility, please contact us to schedule a consultation. Dr. Arya will provide emergency consultation and plan an expedited timeline for egg freezing.

Brief Overview of Fertility Preservation Process:

• Fertility preservation consultation
• Work-up and blood work
• Ovarian stimulation with fertility hormone injections (gonadotropins)
• Retrieval of oocytes (eggs)
• Egg or embryo freezing and storage
• When you are ready to attempt a pregnancy, the eggs are thawed, fertilized, and transferred into the uterus