After thet ovaries are stimultated, the eggs can be removed, preserved and stored in a process called oocyte cryopreservation. Eggs are then fertilized when a woman, who is not necessarily the source, is now ready to conceive a child.
For women who require alternative means of conception, perhaps because of conditions or issues, there is oocyte cryopreservation. You will understand why this process is a better choice for many women once you know how it works. Here is an overview of how egg freezing works to help preserve a woman's eggs for future use:
Ovary stimulation
To start the process of oocyte cryopreservation, you will be instructed to undergo a series of follicle stimulating hormone-FSH-injections which can be self-administered daily for one to three weeks. FSH is responsible for stimulating your ovaries to produce more than one egg. At the same time when hormones are injected, your doctor will make sure that your eggs are healthy by conducting regular monitoring of your ovaries through blood tests and ultrasounds until they are ready for harvesting.
Egg extraction
Ovulation will then be stimulated after the eggs have matured and are ready for harvesting. You will be put under mild general anesthesia or sedation for the egg retrieval process, which lasts for about fifteen minutes. A needle, guided by ultrasound, is inserted into your vagina to remove the fluid from ovarian follicles. This fluid now contains the eggs, and the number of eggs depends on how your body responds to the FSH. The eggs' quality and number in fluid are examined under a microscope.
Egg freezing
A cryoprotectant solution is using during the freezing process to dehydrate water-filled eggs. Soaking eggs in this solution prevents the formation of ice crystals that may cause the destruction of the egg's integrity. The freezing process is conducted by slow-cooling or by vitrification.
The slow-cooling method is a freezing method that involves gradually and slowly freezing the eggs by dropping the temperature by half a degree at a time. Many fertility clinics utilize the sluggish freezing way.
However, vitrification gives the eggs a chance to freeze at a speed which is faster but will need more cryoprotectants.
There are two methods of freezing eggs but there are no significant observable differences between the two at this time.
Fertilization
These frozen eggs are not limited for use by the owner alone. They can also be donated to other women for assisted reproduction. The frozen eggs are removed from inside the freezer, then thawed by a specialist who makes sure that the thawing process is completed properly Once the eggs are prepared, the ones in the best condition are put through intracytoplasmic sperm injection to be fertilized. The sperm is injected inside the egg, bypassing the natural penetration process The fertilized eggs, hoping for at least one successful pregnancy, are then put inside your uterus using a small plastic tube.
The reasons for choosing oocyte cryopreservation might be: for those women who want to preserve their eggs for future pregnancies, for those undergoing assisted reproduction, and for those who have cancer but not yet undergoing chemotherapy or radiation (which is known to destroy eggs).
In case you wish to get more details on
preserve fertility, you have to visit http://www.fertilityjacksonville.com/costs/egg-cryopreservation/.
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