Deciding when to start a family is a big step. If you envision becoming a parent someday, considering fertility preservation can help secure your options for the future, allowing you to choose the right time for you.
Fertility Preservation Options for Women
Many individuals today are opting to wait until later in life to have children. You might have personal ambitions or career goals to focus on first, or perhaps you’re not quite ready both emotionally or financially. Whatever your situation, your reasons are completely valid. By choosing to preserve your fertility now, you maintain the freedom to decide when the time is right. For those with ovaries, this involves collecting, freezing, and storing eggs for future use.
The Egg Freezing Process
Here’s a quick overview of how egg freezing works:
- Initial Fertility Assessment: Your journey starts with a fertility evaluation, including an anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) test and an antral follicle count (AFC) scan, to assess your fertility health.
- Ovarian Stimulation: After the assessment, you’ll have nurse planning sessions to learn about the medication you’ll use to stimulate your ovaries. This usually involves daily injections for about 14 days to increase the number of eggs produced.
- Menstrual Cycle Suppression: You’ll then receive an additional injection to control your natural hormone production and timing of egg release.
- Monitoring: Pelvic scans are performed to check follicle growth, determining the optimal time for egg retrieval.
- Retrieving Eggs: Once the follicles are ready, a final injection matures the eggs for collection. You’ll be sedated during this process to ensure comfort.
- Freezing Eggs: The healthy eggs are cooled using vitrification and stored in liquid nitrogen until you decide to use them.
Costs of Egg Freezing
Here’s a typical cost breakdown for an egg freezing cycle:
- Fertility Assessment: £485 (includes consultation and fertility tests)
- Egg Freezing Cycle: £3,695 (includes retrieval and freezing)
- Storage Fees: £370 annually
Fertility Preservation for Men
It’s worth noting that male fertility can also decline with age, albeit more slowly. If you’re worried about your future fertility, freezing your sperm can provide reassurance. Should you not need to use your sperm later, there’s always the option to donate it to someone in need.
Sperm Freezing Process
The sperm freezing process is straightforward:
- Testing: Initially, a semen analysis is conducted to check viability and screen for infections.
- Sample Collection: You’ll need to provide freshly produced sperm, either at our clinic or at home (but it must be returned within an hour). If needed, we can retrieve sperm surgically.
- Freezing: Your sperm sample is mixed with a cryoprotectant, divided into containers for future use, and then frozen using vitrification.
Costs of Sperm Freezing
Here’s what you can expect to pay for sperm freezing:
- Fertility Assessment: £205 (includes semen analysis)
- Sperm Freezing: £695 (includes screening and freezing)
- Storage Fees: £370 annually
For more information on fertility preservation, you can check out this blog post about what to expect. If you’re interested in boosting male fertility, this site offers great insights. Additionally, for understanding success rates, WebMD is an excellent resource.
In summary, preserving your fertility is a proactive way to control your reproductive future, whether through egg freezing or sperm banking. It’s a decision that can offer peace of mind and flexibility as you navigate your personal and professional life.