What is Fertility Preservation?
Fertility preservation is the freezing of eggs, embryos or sperm to preserve a person’s fertility. This is usually completed for medical reasons or social reasons if a person is concerned about their increasing age with regard to their fertility.
How is Fertility Preservation completed?
Embryo Freezing
To create and freeze embryos an IVF cycle is completed except that all the embryos are frozen and there is no embryo transfer procedure completed. Detailed information about the process of an IVF cycle can be found on the IVF Treatment page. Where there is a medical cause for the need for embryo freezing the IVF cycle is completed in the shortest time possible. Frozen embryos can be used at a later time through a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) cycle.
Egg Freezing
In a similar way to an IVF treatment cycle the preparation for the female is the same to the point of egg collection. Once the eggs have been collected they are frozen for future use. At a later time the eggs can be thawed and mixed with sperm to create embryos and the female prepared for an embryo transfer as per a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) cycle.
Sperm Freezing
Sperm freezing can be completed with minimal preparation. Once screening blood tests have been completed and one of our embryologists has been seen to complete storage consent forms a semen sample can be produced and frozen. Our embryologists usually recommend storing 2 to 3 samples and the embryologists will analyse each sample to establish the quality ahead of freezing.
Who is Fertility Preservation appropriate for?
If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition which will require treatment which may affect your fertility, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or back surgery, and you still wish to have children then fertility preservation may be appropriate for you. Please speak to the consultant treating your medical condition or contact us for advice.
Fertility preservation may also be appropriate for you if you are not currently in a position to have a child but would like to in the future and have concerns about your age and fertility. Please contact us for further advice or to book an initial consultation to discuss your concerns and appropriate steps with one of our expert consultants.
Cryopreservation is the use of very low temperatures to preserve structurally intact living cells and tissues
Salisbury Fertility Centre Treatments
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