CRYOPRESERVATION OF EGGS, EMBRYOS AND SPERM

Cryopreservation is a freezing technique that can be used for eggs, embryos and sperm.  By freezing the eggs, sperm or embryos in certain situations, there is a reduction in the number of fertility drug stimulations and oocyte retrievals required.  Simplification and reduction in costs of future IVF cycles is connected to the cryopreservation procedure.

Cryopreservation of Eggs

Egg freezing benefits two main groups of women. The first are those who are diagnosed with a medical condition whereby the necessary treatments for cure may render them sterile or unable to produce viable eggs. The second is women who are delaying their childbearing for personal reasons, such as saving eggs now for pregnancy at a later time. It is best to have eggs that are frozen when they are of the best quality possible. For instance, eggs frozen at the age of 35 are more usable than fresh oocytes produced at 43 years of age.

Patients who are undergoing in vitro fertilization ( Denver IVF) treatment may use egg-freezing technology.  As technology improves, women who produce many excess eggs may eventually be able to elect to freeze their eggs unfertilized, rather than freezing fertilized embryos.

Cryopreservation of Sperm

Services are available for the short-term storage of sperm specimens as long as the female partner remains a patient. Cryopreservation of sperm for men with poor sperm counts who may need a back-up sample stored, or those who wish to store a sample before beginning cancer treatment and in cases where the man may be out-of-town at the time of egg retrieval.

Cryopreservation of Embryos

Embryo cryopreservation is used most often to store good-quality excess embryos resulting from an IVF treatment cycle. It is also appropriate to use as a fertility preservation measure for a woman who has a male partner interested in parenting a child for her in the future. Alternatively, embryos can be stored for a patient who elects to have her eggs fertilized with donor sperm.

Embryos are created after an in vitro fertilization cycle where eggs are retrieved and then placed with sperm. The resultant embryos are then cultured for 0 to 5 days before being placed in liquid nitrogen for storage. If necessary, the patient may have the option of using our onsite services for the cryopreservation and long-term storage of embryos.