The freezing of oocytes has become a clinically viable option for women who wish to have a child in the future but are facing either an age-related or iatrogenic decrease in the quality and quantity of oocytes.
Reasons to Consider Cryopreservation of Oocytes
- Immediate threat to fertility because of chemotherapy or pelvic radiation therapy
- Surgery associated with risk of damage to the ovaries
- Ovarian disease (e.g., endometriosis) with risk of damage to the ovaries
- Risk of premature ovarian senescence because of Turner’s syndrome (45,XO), the fragile X syndrome, or a family history of premature ovarian failure
- Genetic mutation requiring oophorectomy (e.g., in BRCA-mutation carriers)
- Failure to obtain sperm by means of testicular sperm extraction on the day of oocyte retrieval in men with azoospermia or anejaculation
- Excess oocytes during in vitro fertilization along with ethical objection to or program-specific restrictions on fertilizing more oocytes than will be transferred during one cycle
- Preservation of donor oocytes
- Preservation of fertility to delay pregnancy for personal reasons
References:
- Schattman GL. Cryopreservation of Oocytes. N Engl J Med. 2015 Oct 29;373(18):1755-60. [Medline]
- Paramanantham J, Talmor AJ, Osianlis T, Weston GC. Cryopreserved oocytes: update on clinical applications and success rates. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2015 Feb;70(2):97-114. [Medline]
Created Nov 30, 2015.
