Female Fertility Preservation
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Female Fertility
Preservation
There are many young women whose fertility may be threatened by cancer or other serious diseases and the treatment for these conditions.
Fertility preservation at FTFC in Kenya aims to protect and preserve fertility for the future using various treatment options. For women, these can range from the freezing of eggs and embryos.
For some young women and their families, it may be suitable to pursue fertility options prior to cancer treatment. Having a discussion with our fertility specialist about your future fertility may be helpful.
At Footsteps To Fertility Centre located in Nairobi, Kenya we are glad to offer female fertility preservation treatment as an option for women who may be in danger of having cancer or other serious diseases.
Who Would Benefit From Female Fertility Preservation?
- Women who wish to have children at a later date. These women are aware that fertility declines with age and are choosing to undergo IVF treatment sooner, storing their eggs for the future.
- Women with cancer, as chemotherapy and radiation treatment, can often have a harmful effect on fertility, rendering many of these women menopausal.
- Women who are at risk of early menopause or who have a genetic disorder that could limit fertility (e.g. Turner syndrome).
- Individuals/couples who, for religious or ethical reasons, are opposed to freezing embryos that result from IVF treatments and are more comfortable with storing unfertilized eggs instead.
- Couples who have no sperm retrievable on the day of their egg collection.
Egg Freezing
Egg freezing involves a woman’s mature eggs being developed and removed using standard IVF Treatment techniques. This process typically involves three stages of treatment: pituitary suppression, ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval.
FTF specialists see this as a way of preserving the potential for fertility in women whose fertility is at risk due to age or medical treatment and who are not currently in a position to become pregnant.
To obtain eggs for freezing, a woman will usually undergo hormonal stimulation over 10 – 12 days enabling a number of eggs (usually 10 – 15) to mature. The eggs then undergo a freezing procedure called vitrification.
When the woman is ready to use her eggs, they are thawed and then fertilized with sperm using in-vitro fertilization. The resulting embryos may then be transferred to the woman’s uterus with the hope that a successful pregnancy will occur.
If you have a male partner with whom you are planning to have children, you may choose to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment prior to commencing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Any resulting embryos can then be frozen and used for future pregnancy attempts, often years later.
An IVF cycle involves 10 to 14 days of hormone stimulation prior to the woman’s mature eggs being collected in day surgery and fertilized with her partner’s sperm in the laboratory.
In undergoing this option, it’s important for young women to understand that if the embryos are created that if you and your partner subsequently separate, you will require the permission of your ex-partner to use the embryos.
What are the pregnancy success rates from frozen embryo transfer?
Pregnancy success rates in patients receiving thawed embryo transfers are consistently close to those using fresh embryo transfers.
Babies born as a result of frozen embryo transfer have better health outcomes by several different measures as compared to babies born as a result of fresh embryo transfer.
Specifically, babies born from frozen embryos:
- Were less likely to be born prematurely
- Had higher birth weights
- Had a lower chance of being small for their gestational age
Ovarian tissue freezing refers to freezing a part of or the entire ovary and preparing it into tiny slices and freezing the tissue for the purpose of fertility preservation.
Later, when you are ready to conceive, the ovarian tissue is grafted back into your pelvis. Around nine months later, the grafted ovarian tissue can start to produce reproductive hormones with subsequent follicular development.
Pregnancy using grafted ovarian tissue is achieved with a modified, low-dose gentle cycle of ovarian stimulation and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The following are some of the potential indications:
- Patients who are planning to receive chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy
- Patients undergoing bone marrow or stem cell transplantation
- Patients who are planning to undergo removal of one or both ovaries
- Patients who will be exposed to chemotherapy for non-cancerous diseases
Ovarian Tissue Freezing Process
Ovarian tissue freezing is conducted by surgical removal of the ovaries followed by removal of the stromal layer of the ovary, leaving the cortical part for freezing.
Next, the ovary is cut into small pieces and frozen in liquid nitrogen. When chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment is completed and the patient is ready for pregnancy, tissue is thawed and transplanted surgically. Hormone levels can be measured and egg development can be monitored to assess if the transplanted ovary resumes its function.
If the tissue is transplanted back into the pelvis, spontaneous pregnancy may be observed. If the tissue is placed outside of the pelvis, ovaries may be stimulated with hormone treatment and IVF may be attempted to fertilize the egg, create an embryo and transfer it into the uterus.
A limited number of pregnancies have been reported with ovarian tissue freezing and the success rate is considered to be very low. A detailed discussion with a fertility specialist is recommended for all individuals at risk of losing their fertility potential.
There are many options available to both men and women including sperm, egg and embryo freezing. Additionally, third-party reproduction– which includes using donor sperm, donor eggs and donated embryos– is always an option.
Gestational surrogacy is also an option for women who are unable to carry a pregnancy to term or those exposed to high doses of chemotherapy that damaged their uterus.
A limited number of pregnancies have been reported with ovarian tissue freezing and the success rate is considered to be very low. A detailed discussion with a fertility specialist is recommended for all individuals at risk for losing their fertility potential.
There are many options available to both men and women including sperm, egg and embryo freezing. Additionally, third party reproduction– which includes using donor sperm, donor eggs and donated embryos– is always an option.
Gestational surrogacy is also an option for women who are unable to carry a pregnancy to term or those exposed to high doses of chemotherapy that damaged their uterus.
Benefits of fertility preservation
Fertility preservation is beneficial in various circumstances, including where:
- You have a serious illness such as cancer and have to undergo treatment that may result in the loss of fertility.
- You want to have children but are not ready to do so now and are concerned about the effects ageing might have on your chances of having a family.
- You are at risk of early menopause.
- You have a genetic disorder that may limit fertility.
Fertility Preservation FAQ’s
How do I know whether fertility preservation is right for me?
When a cancer diagnosis is made, same-day or next-day appointments are available with Footsteps To Fertility specialists in Kenya to discuss which technique may best fit your situation.
Fertility preservation works best if initiated prior to starting cancer treatments. Some of the factors that go into making decisions about fertility preservation include:
- Dose, type, and duration of treatments (in general, the higher the dose and the longer the treatment, the greater the chance for developing fertility problems)
- The area receiving radiation (if used)
- When treatments are set to begin
- Age and marital status
- Personal, cultural, or religious beliefs
How can a woman preserve fertility?
Like in males, a woman’s fertility is threatened by cancer and other diseases, requiring preservation. At Footsteps to Fertility Nairobi, we preserve a woman’s fertility through egg and embryo freezing.
Egg freezing entails the development and removal of a woman’s mature eggs through standard IVF techniques. Embryo freezing comprises an in Vitro fertilization (IVF) and freezing the resulting embryo for future pregnancy through human artificial insemination.
You may also opt for ovarian tissue freezing, where we freeze a part or your entire ovary, prepare it into tiny slices and freeze it for future grafting to stimulate reproductive hormones and follicular development in the future.
Feel free to contact us, chat with us or directly reserve an appointment below. We offer a healthier and safer option for women wishing to conceive with little or no drugs, fewer side effects and reduced stress.
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Footsteps To Fertility Centre
Footsteps To Fertility Centre in Nairobi, Kenya offers you unsurpassed fertility care. Your goal is to start a family, and our life’s work is to make that happen. Dedicated to providing exceptional, personalized reproductive and fertility health care for our patients.
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Suite 9, Kugeria Court, Ralph Bunche Road, Nairobi, Kenya.
0700 041955
info@footstepstofertility.com
