Fertility Preservation & Cryopreservation

Fertility preservation means freezing eggs, sperm or embryos so that they can be used in the future. Modern freezing (vitrification) allows cells to be stored safely at very low temperatures for many years. It gives people more flexibility when treatment, health or life circumstances make it difficult to conceive right now.

Who may consider fertility preservation

• Patients about to start chemotherapy, radiation or surgery that can affect fertility
• Women who wish to delay pregnancy and want to preserve younger eggs
• Men with low or fluctuating sperm counts, or before a vasectomy or other procedures
• IVF patients who have extra good-quality embryos after a cycle
• Couples who prefer a freeze-all approach followed by frozen embryo transfer

Options available

• Egg freezing: eggs are collected after ovarian stimulation and frozen unfertilised.
• Embryo freezing: eggs are fertilised and the embryos are frozen at the blastocyst stage.
• Sperm freezing: semen samples are processed and stored, including samples retrieved surgically.
• Frozen embryo transfer (FET): thawed embryos are transferred in a carefully prepared cycle.

What to expect

Egg and embryo freezing follow the same stimulation and retrieval steps as IVF. Sperm freezing needs only a semen sample after a short abstinence period. Your doctor will explain the number of eggs that may be needed, storage duration, consent forms and future use. Freezing offers a chance, not a guarantee, and outcomes depend strongly on age at freezing and the number and quality of eggs or embryos stored.

Consultation

If you are facing cancer treatment, please contact us as early as possible, because fertility preservation is often time-sensitive and can sometimes be arranged before therapy begins.