Fertility Preservation

Fertility preservation is the term used for procedures that protect and preserve a women’s fertility. Fertility preservation options include freezing eggs, embryos or ovarian tissue.

The most common of these fertility preservation options is egg freezing and the indication for this can be either medical or elective.

Medical indications include such things as cancer, disease, surgery, or medical treatments that put future fertility at risk. Elective reasons may be as simple as a not yet being ready to become pregnant, but wanting the opportunity for a family in the future.

Age-related infertility is one of the most common issues seen by fertility specialists. While women are born with 1-2 million eggs, by the age of 30 there are only around 10% left. Electing to freeze your eggs increases the potential to have a child later in life, as you avoid the age-related decline in egg quality. This decline happens more rapidly from age 36, so it is ideal to freeze eggs before this time.