SOCIAL FREEZING – THE LUXURY TO CONCEIVE AT YOUR CONVENIENCE! CAN WE HALT OUR BIOLOGICAL CLOCK?

If you want to delay your first pregnancy but worried about aging or if you are a cancer patient, consider freezing your gametes for future use.This helps you to have your own(genetic) child when you are prepared for it.

As you age, your egg reserve diminishes. Quality of eggs also decline with age which may lead to genetic/ chromosomal abnormalities in fetus.

Though the age at which egg reserve drastically declines vary in each one depending on genetics, environmental influences, Co existing diseases, food habits, stress etc; generally rapid decline happens around 35 years. There are females who show premature ovarian failure very early in life.

If you want to put off motherhood for your career, financial constraints or medical indications, do have a talk with your fertility doctor who can guide you after scan and blood tests. For collection of oocytes(eggs) for freezing, women has to undergo ovarian stimulation and IVF. Oocyte freezing is done by cryopreservation (Vitrification) where the rapid freezing of oocytes are done with cryoprotectant and stored in liquid nitrogen.This type of freezing prevents formation of ice crystals in cells and so the oocytes can be preserved with the same quality for years. Sperms can be frozen for those men who has to undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy. After blood tests, sperms can be collected through masturbation and frozen. It can be used for IUI or IVF in future.

Written By Dr. Anupama S