PRESERVE YOUR FERTILITY FOR THE FUTURE

DR SHEFALI JAIN Infertility Specialist, Gynecologist & Obstetrician at Asian Institute of Infertility Management, Indore

Siddhayani was a medical student doing post-graduation in gynecology. She was multi-dimensional, extrovert and a hard working girl. Her orthodox parents insisted that she marry and then continue her studies in accordance to the wishes of her in-laws, without realizing the potential and abilities of the girl Unfortunately, in spite of so much success in life, her marriage turned out to be a failure because ‘He’ was not ‘Mr Right’ for her. The marriage finally ended in separation & divorce. Siddhayani turned so bitter, that any hope of finding a suitable boy and remarriage was non existant in the present scenario. She never wanted to enter into a wedlock, but, the thought of motherhood gave her a lot of solace and peace. If she finds a suitable match in the future, can her dream be fulfilled …? Misthi, a young girl, enjoying college life after the strict school discipline. Her life turned topsy turvy when her blood report diagnosed acute leukemia. Now life would revolve around chemotherapy /radiotherapy & other medical treatments. Now what is the future of these young innocent girls ? A difficult time for the whole family. In this disastrous life’s turmoil apart from the agony of disease and its treatment, comes the great sorrow, despair and helplessness of possible infertility. Fertility preservation is a ray of hope offered by doctors, counsellors & the support system. This helps young girls like Misthi, along with the family to navigate their path through the difficult decision making process of the treatment as well as the fertility preservation options for future. Now, the question is ‘Is fertility preservation through cryopreservation of oocytes (egg freezing) a realist approach or just a delusion.’ Apart from the known risk of fertility compromise in cases of malignancies, other conditions like unavoidable delay in marriage, unstable couple relationships, autoimmune diseases, impending risk ofpremature ovarian failure are also the few more indications of oocyte freezing. Q. WHAT IS OOCYTE (EGG) FREEZING? A. The preservation of oocytes (egg) removed from the woman’s ovary in order to retain the possibility to reproduce with their own gametes at a later stage of life. Q. WHY FREEZE OOCYTES AT YOUNGER AGE? A. As woman's age advances, the quality and the quantity of eggs deteriorate. The likelihood of chromosomal abnormality, risk of miscarriage and birth defects increase.Therefore younger the age better the prognosis for the future. Q. IS THE PROCEDURE PAINFUL? A. Procedure should not be feared. The procedure involves injections, which are given for 8- 10 days subcutaneously i.e. under the skin which are like mosquito bites. The eggs are retrieved under anesthesia & is some somewhat similar to withdrawal of a blood sample. Q. WHAT IS THE ACTUAL PROCEDURE OF EGG FREEZING? A. The process of egg freezing or oocytes cryopreservation, involves stimulating the ovaries with hormones to produce multiple eggs. Once eggs form under the influence of hormone injections, they are retrieved using a needle through the vaginal route. This procedure takes 5-10 minutes and is done under short anesthesia. After retrieval of oocytes, they are frozen. Q. CAN ONE CONTINUE TO WORK DURING THIS PROCEDURE? A. Yes of course, work can be continued during treatment cycles. You may skip your office or work on the day of ovum pickup as the procedure involves short anesthesia after which you may feel little dizzy for some time. Q. DOES OOCYTES FREEZING GUARANTEE A BABY? A. No procedure in the world can guarantee a baby currently. According to a study published in the Journal Human Reproduction, predicts that women under 35 who freeze 10-20 eggs have between a 70 and 90% chance of at least one live birth later on. Q. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? A. An egg freezing cycle may approximately cost from 1.5 Lakhs to 2 Lakhs.