Embryo Freezing
Embryo Freezing Procedure in Pakistan
Embryo freezing or embryo cryopreservation is an innovative medical procedure that offers couples greater control over their fertility. It’s particularly beneficial for couples who are not ready to have children yet but are also concerned about reduced fertility after their 40s. In this post, we’ll learn about embryo freezing in Pakistan, the procedure, benefits, success rate, and other details. Let’s get started.
Overview of Embryo Freezing
Embryo freezing is exactly what the name suggests. A fertilized egg that develops into an embryo can be frozen in liquid nitrogen at a temperature below (- 196°C). The embryo can then be thawed and used whenever a couple decides to embark on the journey of parenthood. That’s when it’s implemented into the woman’s uterus.
Embryo freezing is most commonly performed during in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Fertility specialists usually recommend preserving a few embryos just in case the IVF cycle fails, and you decide to undergo another round of IVF. It’s also for couples who do not want to conceive in their prime reproductive years because of personal, career-related, medical, or other reasons.
Benefits of Embryo Freezing
Embryo freezing has become a popular choice lately. Here are the reasons why more and more couples are considering this reproductive technology.
Long-term Fertility Preservation
While you may have a valid reason to delay pregnancy, the fact that a woman’s fertility tends to decline with age can’t be overlooked. Parenthood may not be in the picture for couples undergoing medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy. If you, too, have a medical issue or other reasons for delaying pregnancy, cryopreservation might be your best option to preserve your fertility for the future.
Improved IVF Success Rate
Not every couple undergoing an IVF cycle will have a positive pregnancy test on the first attempt. Fortunately, you can discuss the frozen embryo transfer procedure with your fertility specialist and preserve a couple of embryos. This will allow you to undergo another IVF procedure using the frozen eggs. Frozen embryos save you the time and effort of going through the hormone medication and egg retrieval procedures in subsequent IVF cycles.
Flexibility in Family Planning
Embryo freezing gives you a chance to delay pregnancy for personal reasons. Whether you have career goals or are simply not ready to start a family yet, having your embryos frozen works as a reassurance that you can have your biological children without encountering age-related fertility issues later in life.
Preimplantation Genetic Testing
Embryo freezing in Pakistan gives your doctor the time they need to run Preimplantation Genetic Testing on the embryos to separate the healthy ones from those with chromosomal abnormalities and other possible defects.
Embryo Freezing Success Rate
Around 95% of the embryos survive the thawing process. The success rate of pregnancy from frozen embryo transfer can vary significantly between women. It depends on the woman’s age when her egg was fertilized, and the resulting embryo was frozen.
The younger, the better. Ideally, the eggs of a woman aged 35 years or below have the highest chance of resulting in a successful pregnancy. The success rate also depends on other factors, like the embryologist’s expertise, the facility where the embryos are frozen, and the techniques used to freeze them.
Embryo Freezing in Pakistan
Many fertility clinics in Pakistan are equipped with the infrastructure needed to freeze embryos. Of all the facilities currently offering egg freezing in Pakistan, Australian Concept Infertility Medical Center stands out as the top choice.
The facility has the staff and technology to support embryo freezing and ensure maximum chances of conception through frozen embryo transfer. From MIRI incubators that monitor the embryo’s development without disturbing them to cryobanks with the appropriate temperature and tools needed to support embryo freezing, Australian Concept has it all. Affordability is another major factor that sets embryo freezing services in Pakistan apart from those offered in other parts of the world.
How the Embryo Freezing Process Works
Here’s a step-by-step procedure for embryo freezing:
Step 1: Egg Retrieval
Hormonal medications are administered to the woman in order to get her ovaries to release multiple mature eggs at once. These eggs are retrieved using a minor surgical procedure, usually in an outpatient setting.
Step 2: Fertilization
These eggs are placed with sperm in a petri dish. Fertilization occurs either naturally or through Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). Once the egg is fertilized, it will become an embryo in the next 3-5 days.
Step 3: Selecting the Best Embryo
The doctor will examine embryos under a microscope to get the healthiest and most viable one for freezing.
Step 4: Vitrification
Vitrification is a modern technique that involves placing the embryo in liquid nitrogen for rapid freezing. This preserves the embryo’s health and function. The embryos are kept in the cryobank at a temperature lower than -196°C.
Step 5: Thawing
Once you are ready for conception, you can have the frozen embryos thawed (brought back to the normal temperature). Your surgeon will transfer the thawed embryos into your uterus through a minimally invasive procedure. After this, you must wait 10-12 days for a pregnancy test.
FAQs
There is no specific limit on how long the embryos can remain frozen. Depending on the environment and the technique used for freezing, they can survive a decade or longer.
Embryos can be damaged during freezing and thawing, but modern technology, like vitrification, substantially minimizes this risk.
Yes, however, you may need to contact the fertility clinic in Pakistan to know if they support frozen embryo transportation to international countries.
Australian Concept is a pioneer in offering IVF with embryo freezing in Pakistan. With 27+ years of experience and internationally trained medical staff, Australian Concept is equipped to freeze embryos, thaw them, and implant them into the woman’s uterus. The clinic has had access to cryobanks and modern technology that has kept frozen embryos viable for decades.
