The procedure of egg freezing (Taiwan)
October 01, 2015
l If you are in Taiwan:
l Three steps:
1. Physical examination:
Ovarian reserve test- AMH, antral follicle count (AFC)
Pre-anesthesia assessment
Others- Hepatitis B (HBsAg), Hepatitis C (Anti-HCV), HIV (Anti-HIV-1,Anti-HIV-2),
human T-lymphotropic virus (Anti-HTLV),syphilis (RPR), Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
human T-lymphotropic virus (Anti-HTLV),syphilis (RPR), Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
2. Stimulation injection:
Long-acting rFSH
Short-acting rFSH (daily)
Mild stimulation with oral alternatives
Natural cycle without any injection
3. Oocyte retrieval operation:
It may take around 15 minutes depending on the stimulated follicle counts
l Q and A:
1. Do I have enough eggs to cyropreserve?
A. The amount of female oocytes is decreasing with the maternal age. The cut-off value of the decline rate is around the age 35: the rate is comparative faster in the women over 35 than those under 35. AMH is a stable and representative predictor: higher the level is, more the oocytes are.
2. Will the controlled ovarian stimulation affect my own ovarian function?
A. The components of stimulation medication are recombinant gonadotropins, which play the similar roles of external hormones to support multiple follicle growth. If no medications were used, the external hormone can only support a single follicle growth, called as the dominant follicle, and the other subordinate follicles (15-20 varied with the age) will degenerate in this menstrual cycle.
3. Will the stimulation medication push me toward the menapause faster?
A. Since the medications just rescue the subordinate follicles to become dominant, no additional stock are triggered. So the answer is "no."
4. Is it painful to get the injection?
A. Most injections are subcutaneous, and the injection site are at lower hip or lower abdomen, where are not hypersensitive.
5. Is the retrieval operation difficult?
A. Since the introduction of sonographically guided viginal oocyte retrieval, the double-lumen needle can go through the route without penetrating the hypersensitive areas, and the diameter of needle is greatly reduced. The anesthesia is recommended in the nervous cases.