Fertility Preservation – Options for Women and Men

Fertility has to do with one’s ability to reproduce children. There are a variety of factors that affect the ability of both women and men to produce children naturally. Some of these include age, disease, hereditary conditions, as well as treatment protocols for illnesses. 

Technological advances in the medical field have enabled many individuals and couples to still build their families, against some challenging odds. As well, these same technologies have enabled both men and women to freely choose when to begin building their families, by freezing their sperm and eggs for future use.

In this article we shall be discussing fertility preservation, the options that are available for women and men to preserve their fertility, as well as special circumstances in which one can preserve their fertility.

What is fertility preservation?

Generally, fertility preservation is the freezing or cryopreservation of sperm or eggs and storing them for future use. Typically, freezing is used for short-term preservation, while cryopreservation is used for long-term preservation. Cryopreservation is the preferred method for fertility preservation, as sperm and eggs can be stored frozen for years without causing any damage.

Fertility preservation for men involves collecting a sperm sample, cryopreserving it, and then storing it in a sperm bank for future use. The process of collecting a sperm sample involves masturbating and ejaculating into a sample cup. From there the sperm undergo a ‘sperm wash’ whereby the more viable sperm are selected from the semen sample. These are then cryopreserved for a time when they will be required for fertilization.

Fertility preservation for women involves retrieving multiple eggs from the ovaries, after they undergo an ovarian stimulation protocol. This protocol typically causes them to produce multiple viable eggs at once during the ovulation phase of the woman’s menstrual cycle. When the eggs reach maturity, they are extracted and cryopreserved for the future. At times, these eggs can be fertilized and cryopreserved as embryos. 

Fertility Preservation Options For Men

Naturally, males tend to produce sperm throughout their lifetime. As they age however, the quality of the sperm they produce diminishes. As well, conditions such as erectile dysfunction, or illness can affect a man’s ability to conceive naturally. 

Reasons to Preserve Male Fertility

Typically, a person can choose to preserve their fertility so that they can build their families at a future time. However, there are circumstances under which one may want to consider preserving their fertility ahead of time. 

Treatment Protocols

There are times a person may require medical treatments that could impact the production of sperm in the body. Some examples include calcium channel blockers used to treat hypertension, or the anti-cancer drugs used in chemotherapy. Since these medications also impact the production of testosterone in the body, it is likely that after treatment, sperm production may be negatively impacted, preventing one from having children naturally or otherwise. 

Gender Transition

For people who want to undergo gender transition, the use of medication and estrogen therapy inhibit the production of testosterone, which in turn prevents the production of sperm. Therefore, if they would like to have children in the future, it is recommended that they freeze their sperm before they begin their transition. In this way, they can use their preserved sperm for fertilization when they are ready for children. As well, preserving their sperm ensures that their offspring can still carry their DNA.

Vasectomy

Vasectomies are typically done as a form  of family planning either to prevent unexpected pregnancies or to prevent further pregnancies. Vasectomies are technically reversible. However, there is no guarantee that the reversal will be successful in restoring full reproductive ability. This means that if a man does not have children, cryopreserving their sperm may be valuable in the event that they change their mind in the future.  

Age

The quality of sperm produced by men diminishes as they age, even if they are technically fertile throughout their lives. The lower quality of sperm as they get older may cause the offspring produced to have health complications. Therefore it is of value for men to consider preserving sperm during their younger, more virile years. This way as they age, they have a back up plan for when they are ready to build their families.

Female Fertility Preservation

Age has a direct impact on women’s fertility because their ability to produce eggs reduces as they get along in age. As well, women have a limited number of reproductive years, beginning around their preteen years and coming to an end in their early to mid fifties.

Further, the peak of women’s fertile years falls around their late twenties, after which, their ability to conceive naturally steadily declines until they no longer produce any eggs. With the help of assisted reproductive technologies, women can preserve their fertility for a time when they are ready to begin building their families.

Reasons to Preserve Female Fertility

Delayed Childbearing

Women are choosing to become pregnant much later in life than they did in previous decades. Due to delaying their childbearing plans, they have the option to freeze their eggs until the time they are ready to become pregnant. As well, if they desire to have larger families, they can preserve their eggs in order to have better options for building their large family when the time comes.  

Medical Treatments

Medical treatments sometimes can have a negative impact on a woman’s ovarian reserve. Treatments such as chemotherapy, pelvic radiation, or major surgery on the ovaries, or even ovary removal, all have a negative impact on the egg reserves, as well as the quality of eggs available for fertilization. As such, it is recommended that one freezes their eggs in order to have the chance to build their family at a future point, after treatment and recovery is complete. 

Gender Transition

When a woman desires to undergo gender transition, the medications and hormones prescribed are designed to prevent the production of estrogen and progesterone. These two hormones are responsible for a woman’s natural menstrual cycle. As a result of the transition therapy, it is expected that ovulation will cease. Therefore, it is recommended that they preserve their eggs prior to beginning treatments. In this way, they can then use their preserved eggs in the future to build their families, and their children will still have their DNA. 

Flexibility

Another reason to undergo fertility preservation is simply to maintain reproductive autonomy and flexibility for future family building plans. The advantage here is that a woman can choose to have children whenever she is ready, whether as a single parent or with a partner as part of a couple. 

Types of Female Fertility Preservation

There are three main ways in which a woman can preserve her fertility. They are oocyte cryopreservation, embryo cryopreservation, and ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Below is a further description of how these processes work.

Oocyte Cryopreservation

In this procedure, the ovaries are stimulated using medications and hormone therapy. This causes them to develop multiple follicles to maturity. Once mature, the eggs are retrieved from the ovaries in a surgical procedure called transvaginal oocyte retrieval. The eggs are frozen or cryopreserved from there. 

Embryo Cryopreservation

Embryo cryopreservation is a process where after the retrieval of eggs, one can choose to have them fertilized before they are preserved. Fertilization is done on the same day that the eggs are retrieved. Typically, embryos will be allowed to develop independently for another few days before they are frozen or cryopreserved. 

Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is a rare option for fertility preservation. It involves the removal of an entire ovary or some tissue from an ovary surgically, which is then frozen or cryopreserved. The procedure is typically done under unique circumstances where time is of the essence and there is no sufficient time to perform ovarian stimulation. Sometimes it can be done before puberty, or before the beginning of a treatment such as chemotherapy. The tissue or ovary can later be reimplanted when the woman is ready to have children. 

In Conclusion

When it comes to family building there are many options available thanks to assisted reproductive technologies. Many factors can negatively impact a person’s fertility and having the option to preserve one’s fertility is an option available, in order to protect their family building options for the future. 

If you want to know what options are available to you to preserve your fertility, or you would like to know how to go about preserving your fertility due to a change in your circumstances, do contact Los Angeles Reproductive Center. Our expert team of professionals is ready to serve you with compassion and walk with you in your family building journey.