Social egg freezing: a gateway to fertility insurance

Jashan Chhatwal; Rita Bakshi; Sakshi Bakshi; Nidhi Tripathi

doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20233639

Authors

Jashan Chhatwal RISAA IVF International Fertility Center, New Delhi, India
Rita Bakshi RISAA IVF International Fertility Center, New Delhi, India
Sakshi Bakshi EPIA, New Delhi, India
Nidhi Tripathi RISAA IVF International Fertility Center, New Delhi, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20233639

Keywords:

Social egg freezing, Vitrification, Fertility, Fertility preservation, Oocyte survival, Oocyte cryopreservation

Abstract

Background: There is a decline in fertility due to delayed childbearing and hence, elective egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) offers a solution. Two primary techniques are used for human oocyte cryopreservation: slow freezing and vitrification. Vitrification is highlighted as a promising method. The present study was conducted to evaluate the pregnancy outcomes from oocytes that were frozen for social reasons and oocytes were frozen by method of vitrification.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at RISAA IVF International Fertility Centre, New Delhi, collecting the data available over 6 years (2017-2023). It focused on freezing of oocytes and collected data on frozen, thawed, and fertilized oocytes, analysing thawing, survival, and fertilization rates by patient age group. Data was processed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS, with quantitative data presented as mean and standard deviation, and qualitative data as frequencies and proportions.

Results: In this study of 25 patients who froze their oocytes, the average age at cryopreservation was 33.38 years. The mean age at implantation was 36.48 years. On average, patients had 10 retrieved oocytes. Most patients with thawed oocytes were in the 35-37 age group, although the highest survival and fertilization rates (86.9%) occurred in the above-40 age group. Established pregnancies were more common in the 35-37 age group, with 5 out of 10 pregnancies regardless of the day of embryo transfer.

Conclusions: Elective egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) has emerged as a valuable solution to preserve fertility.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Henry L, Labied S, Jouan C, Nisolle M. Preservation of female fertility: The current therapeutic strategy. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2022;156(1):3-9.

Blakemore JK, Grifo JA, DeVore SM, Hodes-Wertz B, Berkeley AS. Planned oocyte cryopreservation-10-15-year follow-up: return rates and cycle outcomes. Fertil Steril. 2021;115(6):1511-20.

Argyle CE, Harper JC, Davies MC. Oocyte cryopreservation: where are we now? Hum Reprod Update. 2016;22(4):440-9.

Mangoli E, Khalili MA. The Beneficial Role of Intra Cytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection (IMSI) in Assisted Reproduction. J Reprod Infertil. 2020;21(1):3.

Steiner AZ, Jukic AMZ. Impact of female age and nulligravidity on fecundity in an older reproductive age cohort. Fertil Steril. 2016;105(6):1584-8.

Assisted Reproductive Technology National Summary Report. Available at: https://www.sartcors online.com/rptCSR_PublicMultYear.aspx?ClinicPKID=0. Accessed on 20 February 2023.

Schwartz D, Mayaux MJ. Female fecundity as a function of age: results of artificial insemination in 2193 nulliparous women with azoospermic husbands. N Engl J Med. 1982;306:404-6.

Sharma R, Biedenharn KR, Fedor JM, Agarwal A. Lifestyle factors and reproductive health: taking control of your fertility. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2013;11(1):66.

Gallardo M, Saenz J, Risco R. Human oocytes and zygotes are ready for ultra-fast vitrification after 2 minutes of exposure to standard CPA solutions. Sci Reports. 2019;9(1):1-9.

Chian RC, Huang JYJ, Tan SL. Obstetric and perinatal outcome in 200 infants conceived from vitrified oocytes. Reprod Biomed. 2008;16(5):608-10.

Alteri A, Pisaturo V, Nogueira D, D’Angelo A. Elective egg freezing without medical indications. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2019;98(5):647-52.

Gunnala V, Schattman G. Oocyte vitrification for elective fertility preservation: the past, present, and future. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2017;29(1):59-63.

Cobo A, García-Velasco JA, Coello A, Domingo J, Pellicer A, Remohí J. Oocyte vitrification as an efficient option for elective fertility preservation. Fertil Steril. 2016;105(3):755-64.

Goold I, Savulescu J. In favour of freezing eggs for non-medical reasons. Bioethics. 2009;23(1):47-58.

Sangeetha K. Crime and Justice. Sch Int J Law. 2013:12:13-6.