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]
- Fouks Y, Sakkas D, Bortoletto PE, Penzias AS, Seidler EA, Vaughan DA. Utilization of Cryopreserved Oocytes in Patients With Poor Ovarian Response After Planned Oocyte Cryopreservation. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jan 2;7(1):e2349722. [Medline]
Created Nov 30, 2015.
Up-date Mar 12, 2026.
