How is oocyte freezing performed?

This is an automatically translated article.

Along with the development of today's society, delaying marriage and having children to focus on developing a career is a common trend of modern women. Therefore, oocyte freezing is a solution to preserve fertility, giving women more choices in having children at the time they want.
The article is professionally consulted by MSc, BS. Nguyen Thi Nhu Trang - Reproductive Support Center - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital. The doctor has strengths and experience in performing specialized techniques in the IVF Lab such as ICSI, biopsies for preimplantation genetic diagnosis, thawing embryos, oocytes...

1. In which cases is oocyte freezing applied?

There is an increased risk of decreased or lost fertility due to chemotherapy/radiation or cancer surgery. The pathological cases need to be treated with surgery to remove the ovaries. Cases of in vitro fertilization but no sperm samples were obtained after oocyte retrieval. Women who are not ready to become pregnant at the moment, want to freeze their eggs for the future. Create an oocyte bank for a humanitarian oocyte donation program or for research purposes.

2. How is oocyte freezing performed?

The process of oocyte freezing is carried out through steps including examination, ovarian stimulation, oocyte aspiration and oocyte freezing by vitrification method.
Examination and testing
The first step in oocyte cryopreservation is that the patient is examined and tested, including:
Evaluation of ovarian reserve and reproductive function, thereby predicting the quantity and quality number of oocytes obtained. Screening for infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis. Ovarian stimulation
When the examination results meet the requirements, and the patient has fully understood the information, the ovarian stimulation process will be started on 2-3 days of the menstrual cycle and usually lasts about 10 days. The number and quality of follicles during stimulation were monitored by ultrasound. This process ends when the patient is injected with a depilatory injection.
Ovulation aspiration: done through the vagina, about 36 hours after the injection.
Oocyte freezing
Eggs after aspiration are evaluated for quality and maturity, then frozen by vitrification method, brought down to -196oC, using high concentration frozen preservatives and used Specialized egg container. Ovum can be stored at low temperature for a long time, until the woman needs to use it.

3. How many cryopreserved oocytes are required?

A question often asked is “If there is only one good ovum, can a healthy baby be born? So how many oocytes should be refrigerated?
The reality is that there are many hurdles that an egg must overcome to become a healthy baby, especially when going through IVF usually has a significant drop in each point.
The quantity and quality of oocytes is the most important factor in the oocyte cryopreservation cycle. The more oocytes obtained, the higher the success rate. In addition, studies have shown that oocyte and embryo quality decline rapidly as a woman's age increases, especially over 37 years of age. Therefore, women in case of active oocyte storage should be performed before this age.
Egg freezing is just a backup in case you can't get pregnant at the moment. This method, like in vitro fertilization, only has a certain success rate, so the best option is still to get pregnant in the ideal reproductive age.

Reproductive assisted reproductive techniques performed at Vinmec IVF Fertility Center are performed by a team of highly qualified and experienced doctors and specialists, capable of synchronous and comprehensive implementation. Presenting the most advanced assisted reproductive techniques today, helping to realize the dream of parenthood of hundreds of families across Vietnam.

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