Fertility Preservation

What is fertility preservation?

Many men and women never question that they will one day become parents. For most, this happens naturally. However, for those women who face early menopause or men and women who undergo cancer treatment, achieving the dream of parenthood is a bit more complicated. Fortunately, thanks to new developments in reproductive medicine, those who face unexpected risks to fertility may still be able to conceive children of their own.

Fertility preservation options

If you’re undergoing chemotherapy, radiation or surgery for cancer, you may be worried about fertility preservation. Depending on the location and dose of your cancer treatment, it may cause temporary or permanent infertility. Fortunately, sperm freezing and egg freezing may enable you to have a child in the future.

At Main Line Health, we offer vitrification, the latest technique for egg freezing. Traditionally, egg freezing had a large risk of ice crystals forming and damaging the egg. During vitrification, the eggs are frozen instantly, which protects them from freezing damage. If you choose egg freezing, your healthy eggs can be thawed later and fertilized using in vitro fertilization, with your partner’s sperm or donated sperm.

In order to preserve your sperm, your sample is frozen and stored in a liquid nitrogen tank until needed. When you are ready, your sperm can be thawed and used for artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization.