“My biological clock is ticking…” How often do we in the fertility field hear this statement? Ironically, in today’s fast-paced society, the answer is actually: Not Enough! For the aging of a female’s eggs, or “ovarian reserve”, is the most inevitable factor in all of reproductive medicine. Yet it is often ignored, especially when the desire for childbearing is not a pressing issue for a young woman at that point in her life. However the reality is that optimal fertility begins to decrease rapidly as women age through their 30’s; in fact data demonstrates that a 35-year-old-female is half as fertile as when she was 25. As a result, a growing technology has emerged, and rapidly gained popularity, to assist in preserving one’s reproductive potential; i.e. to conquer her biological clock. This therapy is known as Oocyte Cryopreservation, or “Egg Freezing”.
Many worldwide studies have demonstrated scientific evidence of the safety and effectiveness of Egg Freezing with no increase in chromosomal abnormalities or birth defects, therefore, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in 2012 deemed that it is no longer considered experimental. Furthermore, the success rate of achieving pregnancy should be similar to that Center’s pregnancy rates from fresh in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) therapy. In 1986, the first baby conceived using an egg that was previously frozen and thawed was born. Today, over 2000 healthy babies have been born worldwide, and thousands of women are taking advantage of this technological breakthrough.
There are many circumstances in which egg freezing can be highly beneficial for fertility preservation. These include for social reasons, such as the elective desire to postpone childbearing, in cancer patients, especially those undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, in young patients facing ovarian surgery, and for single women not yet involved in a parenting relationship. Whatever the reason may be, this treatment empowers women, in essence granting them an insurance policy to help maintain their fertility well into their future years.
Advanced Reproductive Medicine is the center of excellence. With offices in Edison, Princeton and Cranford Gregory H. Corsan, M.D., Suna M. Qasim, M.D. and Rahul Sachdev, M.D. are Board-Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. For more information call 732-339-9300 or visit InfertilityDocs.com