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Thursday, January 21, 2016

A Guide to Egg-Freezing

Right candidates:

Women who have not yet found a partner, those who have certain goals to achieve before motherhood, and those with cancer as its treatment may damage the ovaries.

Ideal age:

In cancer patients eggs should be extracted before starting chemotherapy as it can damage the ovaries.
For those who choose to freeze eggs for social reasons, 32-33 is a good age.

The procedure:

The patient is given fertility drugs for a week or more to stimulate production of eggs. The egg formation is monitored with ultrasound scans. Next, eggs are extracted under anaesthesia, dunked in liquid nitrogen, and flash-frozen or vitrified.
Maximum preservation period:

No official cut-off as the technology of vitrification is relatively new.

Success rate:

The chance that a single frozen egg will lead to a live birth is about 2%-12%, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. But the probability goes up with a higher number of eggs.
The quality of the sperm also influences the rate
Cost:

Extraction of eggs -- Rs 1.75 lakh approx. Annual fee for freezing -- Rs 25,000-30,000

Side-effects:

Mood swings and bloating are commonly observed. In cases where a higher dose of drugs is needed, there can also be abdominal pain and nausea.
 

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