The doctors at Arizona Associates for Reproductive Health offer people in Scottsdale and Gilbert, AZ numerous treatments for male and female infertility.
While in vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of the most common treatments we perform, Dr. Ketan S. Patel and Dr. Diane Hammitt also offer egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation). This process helps preserve a woman’s viable eggs for later use.
Our team would like to discuss egg freezing, its benefits, and why it is done. This can help you determine if egg freezing is an option you should consider.
Fertility preservation refers to various methods of helping men and women have biological children at a later time. These preservation techniques all involve cryopreservation, which means that sperm, eggs, and/or embryos are frozen at sub-zero temperatures. This prevents cells from degrading, allowing this genetic material to be used years and years later.
In the case of egg freezing, viable eggs are harvested from women and frozen. They can be thawed at a later date and used in various fertility procedures. There are many reasons why women may choose to freeze their eggs for later use. We break down personal and medical reasons for egg freezing below.
Common medical reasons for egg freezing include:
Common personal/non-medical reasons for egg freezing include:
In theory, frozen eggs can be kept in good condition for decades. According to a 2017 news item from CNN, a 25-year-old woman used someone else’s viable egg that was frozen for 24 years. The 25-year-old gave birth to a healthy young girl thanks to that 24-year-old egg.
For most women, the amount of time won’t be so extreme, but this ought to give you an idea of how effective treatment is.
If you would like to learn more about freezing your eggs and other options for fertility preservation, we encourage you to call (480) 860-4792 or contact us online.