New Egg Freezing Program Available for Cancer Patients

Advances in the safety and success of human egg freezing are fueling new hope for cancer patients wanting to preserve their fertility. The physicians and scientists at IVF Florida Reproductive Associates have begun using a new cryopreservation program for women of reproductive age undergoing radiation, chemotherapy or cancer surgery. The option could be available to cancer-diagnosed females as young as teenagers.

“New research data should be reassuring to single women whose best option for giving birth might be to freeze their eggs till after cancer treatment,” says Steven J. Ory, former president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and Reproductive Endocrinologist at IVF Florida. “Frozen eggs that fertilize, develop into viable embryos, and implant are as likely to result in healthy children as fresh eggs. However, for patients with partners, freezing embryos remains the best option,” he added.

IVF Florida has received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for its egg freezing procedures following a rigorous process of review of possible risks associated to patients. "Receiving an IRB approval is significant in the evaluation of any new medical technology because it provides standards and quality control," says Ory.

Doctors are encouraged by research about the vitrification process, a faster freezing process that improves the viability of an egg. In this process, the egg is cooled at an extremely rapid rate, which eliminates the formation of ice crystals in the egg, which can severely damage the egg’s chromosomes when thawed. The egg is stored in liquid nitrogen until time for thawing and fertilization. Vitrification is also used with great success for patients undergoing IVF procedures who have more embryos than are required for a fresh embryo transfer.

The first successful pregnancy using a thawed egg was reported in 1986, when the survival of eggs following thawing after a slower freezing technique was very low, with an overall success rate of about 1 percent implantation per frozen egg. According to the newest guidelines released by the ASRM in October 2007, rates for the slow-freezing method have increased to 2 percent live birthrate per egg thawed using slow freeze methods, and a 4 percent live birthrate per egg thawed using vitrification.

Recent studies showed that vitrified/warmed eggs survived better than the slower method, at a rate of 73 percent compared to 66 percent. Additional data found 272 clinical pregnancies from embryos created with frozen eggs showed 93.8 percent had normal results for eggs that had preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

The physicians and staff at IVF Florida are working in association with Fertile Hope, a national organization dedicated to providing support to cancer patients and survivors whose medical treatments present the risk of infertility. The chemotherapy and radiation that treats cancer can destroy both women’s and men’s ability to conceive children. “We are pleased to be able to help patients who face the emotionally overwhelming medical challenges of life-threatening illness,” says Dr. Ory.

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