CHENNAI: Dr Surakshith Battina is a fertility specialist, a laparoscopic surgeon and a cosmetic gynaecologist working at Indigo Womens Center, Chennai. Explaining the various challenges faced by women today, he talks about empowering women by way of medical science in today’s day and age.
Why is there an increased need for egg freezing?
Recent statistics show that women are delaying their childbirth to much later largely because of pursuing higher studies and better professional achievements.
Why is it only necessary for women to freeze their eggs but not for men to freeze their sperm ?
Unlike in men who regenerate their sperm every few weeks, women are born with a fixed number of about a million eggs at birth. It reduces to about 2,00,000 during puberty and to about 1,000 at 50 years. The rate of destruction of eggs also increases drastically after the age of 35.
Are there factors other than the number of eggs that are important for a woman to conceive?
Yes, as a woman ages the quality of the eggs also keeps reducing. Which means that she has a higher chance of having an aneuploidy or an abnormal embryo when she is older. Thanks to oocyte or egg freezing, when the woman freezes her eggs at an early age she retains the same quality even when she gets it transferred much later in her life.
Is egg freezing for everyone?
If a woman is planning to delay her childbirth to beyond 35, it’s best she considers egg freezing at the earliest.
For how long can eggs be frozen?
There is absolutely no timeline for the number of years the eggs can be frozen. Recently, I read that there was a twin delivery for a couple whose eggs had been frozen for over 30 years.
How will we know if a woman will have a successful egg freezing procedure?
There are a few tests to predict the quantity (the success) of follicles we can retrieve from a woman seeking egg freezing. The transvaginal ultrasound along with a few hormonal tests like AMH, FSH and LH will be performed prior to egg retrieval.
What are the success rates of pregnancy after egg freezing?
The live births from a frozen egg/embryo transfer largely depends on the time of egg retrieval. That’s why we say, the earlier the egg retrieval process is done, the better the outcome. The sperm parameters are also important for fertilisation to occur successfully.
Are there any negative effects on the baby that is born from a frozen egg ?
ART procedures like IVF and ICSI have been done for so decades and there is enough data to show that babies born from frozen eggs / embryos have no increased risk of having any abnormalities. In fact, the very first IVF baby Louise Brown born in July 1978 conceived her own baby naturally.
Are there any negative effects of egg retrieval on the woman?
The medication given to the woman for egg retrieval are all hormones and they evacuate from the body within three days. There are absolutely no side effects for the woman. Many women have the misconception that once they retrieve the eggs, they lose all the eggs they have, this is absolutely untrue. In every cycle several follicles get recruited but only one matures to form the dominant egg. In egg retrieval procedure, we collect all the follicles that are growing in that cycle alone.
How long is the process of egg retrieval?
The complete process takes about 15-18 days from the third day of the menstrual period. The whole procedure is completely painless and relatively non-invasive.
Who is the right candidate for egg retrieval?
Women with cancer who require chemotherapy. Women who might need a surgery on the ovary or the fallopian tube. Women who have the risk of premature ovarian failure.Women with endometriosis.
To know more about egg freezing call 7299109555 or visit: https://indigowomenscenter.com/services/cryofreezing
