If more oocytes are fertilised during IVF or IVF/ICSI treatment than embryos are transferred to the uterus, we can cryopreserve the surplus fertilised oocytes in the pronuclear stage. Then, if necessary, they can be thawed later and transferred to the uterine cavity as developed embryos. This means that pregnancy can occur without having to go through all the steps of IVF or IVF/ICSI treatment again. Experience shows that this proven procedure increases the pregnancy rate associated with oocyte retrieval.
Preservation of fertility
Do not get pregnant today, but tomorrow
There are personal, professional or health situations that thwart the fulfillment of the desire to have children at this time. But we can increase the chances of pregnancy at a later stage – by doing the following:
Minimally invasive procedures help to preserve fertility gently and safely
We can perform various surgical procedures to preserve fertility. We practice these consistently at the highest level (MIC III), so that they are followed by a short recovery phase. Whether the aftercare is performed on an outpatient or inpatient basis depends on the individual case.
Possible interventions
- Hysteroscopy (endoscopy of the uterus)
- Abdominal endoscopy (laparoscopy)
- Infertility surgery (hysteroscopy, laparoscopy)
- Ovarian transplantation (ovarian transplantation)
- Laser surgery
Freezing of oocytes, sperm, testicular or ovarian tissue
1.Freezing fertilised oocytes
2.Sperm or testicular tissue freezing
This is useful if the man is about to have a testicular operation or chemotherapy or radiotherapy that will affect his fertility - but he still wants to father children afterwards. In individual cases, the sperm can also be frozen before the man is absent for a longer period of time in order to use them for ICSI or insemination treatment in due course. The same applies to sperm or testicular tissue obtained during a TESE.
3.Freezing of ovarian tissue
Cancer treatment at a young age can damage ovarian function and lead to menopausal symptoms and infertility. In order to make pregnancy possible afterwards, we can freeze ovarian tissue. This is taken from you during an abdominal endoscopy and cryopreserved in our laboratory after preparation. This process can be done within a few days. When the time comes for pregnancy, we thaw and retransplant the ovarian tissue.
This is a solution for young patients with very good ovarian functional reserve. After the age of 35, we recommend it only in individual cases. A combination with other fertility-preserving measures – such as the cryopreservation of oocytes (primary oocytes) – is also possible, provided that sufficient time is available.
4.How cryopreservation works
In order to preserve the quality of the oocytes, we use "rapid freezing" (vitrification). In this process, the oocytes are dehydrated and cooled to 196 °C in a fraction of a second in liquid nitrogen. When the time comes for artificial insemination, we thaw them out just as quickly. As a result, on average about 90% of all cryopreserved oocytes survive. While freezing and thawing must be done extremely quickly, storage can theoretically be done indefinitely.
Precautionary freezing of oocytes for later pregnancy
Freer life planning
With social freezing – the freezing of oocytes – you can deliberately postpone the time of a possible pregnancy to a later date and significantly extend your reproductive life phase. Because with increasing age, not only the number but also the quality of the oocytes decreases – and with it the probability of becoming pregnant. Freezing stops the ageing process of the oocytes so that they can be fertilised at the desired time in their original quality.
Pregnancy despite illness
Other reasons for social freezing may include primary ovarian failure (POF) or disease-related impairment of ovarian reserve (ovarian endometriosis). The same applies to the threat to fertility posed by a pending cancer treatment. In such cases, patients have healthy oocytes frozen as a safeguard in order to be prepared for the event that it is difficult or impossible for them to become pregnant after the treatment.
Qualitätssicherung gemäß FertiPROTEKT-Standard
Die Qualitätssicherung unserer Kryokonservierung erfolgt entsprechend der Vorgaben von FertiPROTEKT, einem Zusammenschluss von Zentren, die sich der Erhaltung der Fruchtbarkeit verschrieben haben. The focus of the work is on fertility protection counselling prior to planned treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation), which may limit the future fertility of patients as an undesirable side effect.
1.Social Freezing Procedure
After ovarian hyperstimulation, unfertilised oocytes capable of fertilisation (metaphase II) are frozen. They will only be thawed, artificially inseminated (IVF/ICSI) and carried to term by you after successful embryo transfer if your professional or personal situation allows it and you and your partner have decided to have a child together. This should be done by the age of 45. This is because pregnancy after the age of 50 is associated with considerable health risks for both mother and child.
2.The best time for oocyte collection
The younger you are, the greater the number of oocytes and the better the oocyte quality. This is due to the fact that with increasing age variable chromosomal aberrations or genetic changes occur in the course of oocyte maturation (maturation division). These limit the likelihood of pregnancy. So if you decide to have cryopreservation, you should not be older than 37 years. Later is still possible, but the prognosis for successful IVF/ICSI treatment is much worse.
How does it work?
Prospects of success
On average, ten fertilised oocytes develop into one or two vital embryos that can be transferred to the uterus. This means that cryopreserved oocytes have the same fertilisation and development capacity as fresh oocytes. And they also lead to pregnancy to the same extent, as this depends mainly on the age of the patient and the number of fertilised oocytes. Since the number of mature, fertilisable oocytes decreases with age, multiple punctures and artificial inseminations through IVF/ICSI procedures may then be necessary to achieve a reasonable cumulative birth rate (> 80%).
What we say about Social Freezing
As you read the scenario outlined above, you may be thinking: "My God, they're exaggerating." But social freezing is not just a lifestyle issue. It can even have very serious backgrounds – for example, if you are undergoing chemotherapy and want to freeze previously unaffected oocytes and sperm. However, it is also a topic that is strongly linked to people's modern lifestyles – a topic that we approach not only with great experience in cryopreservation, but also with a great sense of responsibility. That is why we rely on individual consultation and targeted diagnostics to correctly assess your personal situation and give you the best possible recommendation.