Article

Fertility Preservation

Dr. Ricardo Yazigi

by Dr. Naveed Khan, MD

Fertility treatment is one of the most high tech areas in all of medicine. Breakthroughs in new technology, such as fertility preservation, and techniques translate into increasingly higher success rates.

One of the most significant recent breakthroughs has been in the process of egg vitrification. Vitrification is a new method used to freeze eggs. Through this new “flash” freezing technology, egg preservation has now become much more reliable, significantly increasing the likelihood of its benefit for future conception. Freezing eggs at a younger reproductive age holds the promise of bypassing the effects of the biologic clock. Eggs that are cryopreserved at a younger age can be used to attempt conception at an older age, when a woman may be significantly less biologically fertile.

Like any medical treatment options, egg freezing is not for everyone. This technology is most beneficial for women who are likely to experience a real decline in their fertility in the near future, including:

  • Women between the ages of 30 and 40 years old who chose to delay childbearing.
  • Women with a family history of premature ovarian failure or early menopause.
  • Women undergoing treatment for cancer or other medical or surgical therapies that reduce fertility potential.
  • Infertile couples who have religious or ethical limitations for the number of eggs they wish to have fertilized while they are undergoing IVF treatment.
  • Women/couples after delivery who wish to delay the timing of having another child, whether the baby followed recent successful fertility therapy or was conceived spontaneously.

In order to meet the demands and needs of women interested in fertility preservation we started the Center for Fertility Preservation at Shady Grove Fertility.

This new vitrification technique is also being applied to eggs that have been donated as well as to embryos not transferred during an IVF cycle.

To learn more about Fertility Preservation, call 1-877-411-9292 or click here.

Fertility treatment is one of the most high tech areas in all of medicine.  Breakthroughs in new technology and techniques translate into increasingly higher success rates.

One of the most significant recent breakthroughs has been in the process of egg vitrification.  Vitrification is a new method used to freeze eggs. Through this new “flash” freezing technology, egg preservation has now become much more reliable, significantly increasing the likelihood of its benefit for future conception.  Freezing eggs at a younger reproductive age holds the promise of bypassing the effects of the biologic clock.  Eggs that are cryopreserved at a younger age can be used to attempt conception at an older age, when a woman may be significantly less biologically fertile.

Like any medical treatment options, egg freezing is not for everyone.  This technology is most beneficial for women who are likely to experience a real decline in their fertility in the near future, including:

• Women between the ages of 30 and 40 years old who chose to delay childbearing

• Women with a family history of premature ovarian failure or early menopause.
• Women undergoing treatment for cancer or other medical or surgical therapies that reduce fertility potential.
• Infertile couples who have religious or ethical limitations for the number of eggs they wish to have fertilized while they are undergoing IVF treatment.
• Women/couples after delivery who wish to delay the timing of having another child, whether the baby followed recent successful fertility therapy or was conceived spontaneously.

In order to meet the demands and needs of women interested in fertility preservation we started the Center for Fertility Preservation at Shady Grove Fertility.

This new vitrification technique is also being applied to our eggs that have been donated as well as to the embryos not transferred during an IVF cycle.

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