Introduction The possibility of freezing human oocytes, whether fertilized or unfertilized, gives women who do not wish to have a mother at a young age more time flexibility in family planning. While the freezing procedure has been used experimentally for decades, it is only with the recent development of a “shock freezing” method, known as … Freezing of oocytes
Before chemotherapy Whether freezing oocytes before starting chemotherapy is sensible and even necessary depends largely on two main factors: the age of the patient at the start of therapy and the chemotherapeutic agent used. The dosage and duration of treatment also play a role here. In general, it can be said that, for example, the … Before chemotherapy | Freezing of oocytes
Biological and technical background There are three hurdles to successfully storing a human egg cell for years or decades and then using it to achieve pregnancy. First, one or more mature, healthy eggs must be retrieved from the woman. As a guideline, the number of eggs required is approximately 10 to 20. There are three … Biological and technical background | Freezing of oocytes
Medical risks There are no known risks of hereditary or other diseases for the child born from a frozen egg, including artificial insemination; thousands of children have already been conceived in this way. However, due to the usually advanced age of the mother-to-be, by definition a high-risk pregnancy exists with sometimes considerably increased probabilities of … Medical risks | Freezing of oocytes
Social implications At the biologically optimal age for pregnancy – between 20 and 25 years – the average woman in a western industrialized nation is generally more likely to be in education or at the beginning of her career than in a married or illegitimate partnership. Therefore, only in individual cases does intentional motherhood occur. … Social implications | Freezing of oocytes
