Today the tendency to postpone the beginning of motherhood after 30 years is increasing, between the wishes of professional and personal improvement, we are postponing the moment in which we wish to become parents.
However, the age factor is the main determinant of the time when we are faced with the desire to achieve a pregnancy. Although today’s women are healthier and take better care of themselves than ever before, better health in adulthood does not counteract the natural decline in age-related fertility. It is important to understand that fertility decreases with the age of women because of the normal age-related decrease in the number of eggs remaining in the ovaries. This decline may occur much sooner than most women expect.
Fertility gradually declines after age 30, especially after age 35. The quality of the eggs decreases as the number of remaining eggs decreases. These changes are most notable when the woman reaches the age of 35 to 39 years. The diminishing number of follicles containing ova in the ovaries is called “loss of ovarian reserve.” Women begin to lose their ovaries before they become sterile and before they stop having regular periods. The diminished ovarian reserve is usually related to age and occurs due to the natural loss of the eggs and the decrease in the average quality of the remaining eggs.
What can I do?
Fortunately, there are techniques that help us preserve the germ cells (eggs and sperm) before various factors such as aging, illness or medication reduce the quality of these cells and significantly reduce the chance of having a child.
Freezing eggs for fertility preservation is a new technology that demonstrates a potential for success.
What is the process?
The process consists in administering medicines to promote follicular growth and with this the maturation of the ovules in the ovary, after approximately 10 days of treatment, these eggs will be ready to be extracted by means of an aspiration technique. The eggs obtained are vitrified (frozen) and can remain in this state indefinitely, this way you ensure that in the future you will have enough eggs and a suitable quality to look for a pregnancy.
What if I’m a boy?
You can also preserve a semen sample by freezing.
Other indications:
– Patients who are going to undergo chemotherapy/radiation therapy.
– Men with a chronic degenerative disease that diminishes semen quality (Diabetes Mellitus, Arterial Hypertension, etc.).
– Take some medications chronically, which can affect the quality of semen.
For more information we recommend that you approach your doctor, he will guide you.