DISCLAIMER: The following post is not intended to act as medical advice. As always, please consult your doctor with any questions about your fertility.
There are many ways to start or grow a family. It can be a little overwhelming to wade through all of the information you find when you’re looking for answers. It’s normal to want to know more and to know what your options are. If your doctor has mentioned fertility preservation to you, you may be curious. But do you know the specifics about what exactly it is, and why it might be done?
When it comes to questions about fertility, our friends from Michigan Center for Fertility and Women’s Health are here to support you. You may have seen their Fertility Friday series on our IG page. Below, they’re sharing about the fertility preservation process, a few reasons why it might be something that an individual needs, and how it works.
Fertility Preservation for Medical Conditions
One common reason for fertility preservation is if someone has a medical condition (for example, a recent diagnosis of cancer) and they’re going to be starting some type of treatment that may affect their egg or sperm quality. Patients may freeze their sperm, eggs, or embryos before they go through their treatment process. This will hopefully allow for a better chance of pregnancy to happen if desired in the future. Although, there are no guarantees.
Certain medical conditions and the treatment required may result in low or zero eggs or sperm after treatment is done. And, the quality may also be affected. Being proactive and seeking out fertility preservation ahead of time may allow more options if the time comes in the future that you may want to try to conceive.
Fertility Preservation for Those Who Aren’t Ready . . . Yet
Another very common reason for fertility preservation is for individuals (primarily females) that are not quite ready to conceive, haven’t met the right partner, or are not sure if they want to have a baby, but know that their biological clock is ticking. This indication for fertility preservation is getting more popular due to increased education and awareness. If someone is in their mid-thirties and fits some of the previously mentioned criteria, then it’s a really good time to at least make a consultation appointment and talk about options for freezing their eggs.
Our egg supply is always declining in terms of the amount and the quality. The decline is relatively steady initially, and then it accelerates after age 35 and goes even quicker each year after. For this reason, fertility preservation is ideal prior to age 35, but is certainly still an option over age 35. Depending on your age, work-up, and indication for preservation, you may require more than one cycle of an egg retrieval. Each plan is customized to each individual and their overall goals.
Fertility preservation is a wonderful option for those that are on the fence about if or when they want to have a child. It’s a way to be proactive for the future, and there’s really no right or wrong age. But keeping that in mind, that sweet spot for age would be an ideal time–if you’re considering it–to at least come in and make a consultation.
It is important to note there is no guarantee for pregnancy with fertility preservation. And, the future success rate is dependent on the factors listed above (age, indication, and testing results). Success rates, suggested egg freezing numbers, etc. are all discussed in detail at your appointment.
Fertility Preservation for Other Reasons
There are other indications for fertility preservation. These are including, but not limited to, those doing hormone therapy, transgender patients that may want to freeze sperm potentially for future use, etc.
Fertility preservation for all these reasons can be very helpful. The staff at Michigan Center for Fertility & Women’s Health are always happy to provide further education and get your plan started.
