Fertility Preservation

Focusing on your today, without giving up on your tomorrow.

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Fertility Preservation

Focusing on your today, without giving up on your tomorrow.

BOOK A CONSULTATION

Having your fertility threatened by a medical condition or treatment can be devastating. But, there is hope.

Many medical conditions or their treatments can negatively impact your fertility. We work with you and your specialists to preserve your fertility so that you can still build the family of your dreams in the future.

Common Questions

About Fertility Preservation

Fertility preservation is the process of freezing eggs or sperm now to make it possible to conceive in the future.

Many medications and procedures can have a significant and lasting effect on fertility for people with ovaries or sperm. For example, medications used to treat cancer like chemotherapy can have a devastating effect on eggs and can even put someone into premature menopause. With Egg Freezing (oocyte cryopreservation), we can freeze a cohort of eggs prior to starting these treatments so as to maximize your chances of a healthy pregnancy in the future. The same is true for those who produce sperm. With Sperm Freezing, we can freeze sperm (sperm cryopreservation) prior to starting treatments to maximize your opportunity of having a child in the future using your own sperm.

Fertility preservation is also an important consideration for those who are about to undergo hormonal treatment or surgery for gender-affirming care. With current technologies, you can proceed with necessary medical treatments while ensuring the to use your own eggs or sperm when you want to build a family.

Fertility preservation can apply in the following circumstances:

You have a cancer diagnosis and are about to undergo chemotherapy
You are underging surgery where there is a significant risk of damage to both ovaries
You are undergoing hormonal treatment or surgery for gender-affirming care

Often times, there is a sense of urgency to preserve your fertility, especially in the case of a cancer diagnosis. Markham Fertility will prioritize all urgent cases and set up a consultation within 1-2 business days. The Ontario Fertility Program covers the cost of fertility preservation, with the exception of medications and storage. Markham Fertility believes that costs should not be the limiting factor for patients pursuing fertility preservation and we will work with you to ensure you can proceed.

It was only a few years ago when a cancer diagnosis might have meant the end of your ability to conceive using your own eggs. Today, we can safely preserve your fertility for building your dream family when you're ready.

Your Fertility Preservation Journey for Those with Ovaries Starts Here

This is a typical journey through fertility preservation for someone with ovaries. We know that the process can be overwhelming. We will be by your side every step of the the way. The complete cycle takes approximately two to three weeks. Fertility preservation for someone with sperm is a relatively straightforward process and can booked conveniently when ready.

Consultation

The first step is to determine whether egg freezing is the right approach given your personal circumstances, medical history, and goals. We will often also reach out to your specialists to ensure that they feel you are a good candidate for fertility preservation.

Meeting your Care Team

Your dedicated care team will provide you with appropriate and timely instructions so that you feel in control. You will complete consent forms and participate in an education session where you will learn how to administer medications. This is also a good time to ask questions.

Ovarian Stimulation (10-12 days)

Stimulating your ovaries to produce eggs typically lasts 10-12 days. During this time you will be taking injectable medications and you will have three to five in-person morning appointments at the clinic where we will monitor your hormones and measure your ovarian follicles using vaginal ultrasound. Your physician will closely monitor your stimulation to ensure the optimal number of eggs.

Egg Retrieval (~Day 12)

Prepare to spend one to two hours at the clinic on the day of egg retrieval. You will also need to arrange for someone to pick you up. The egg retrieval itself is done under deep sedation with an anesthesiologist to ensure your safety and comfort. The procedure lasts approximately 20 minutes. You may experience minor discomfort after the procedure. Most patients resume normal activities the next day.

Post Egg Retrieval

After the retrieval, your eggs will be evaluated and frozen by our expert embryologist team using a technique called vitrification. Our embryologists will speak with you before you leave and review the quality and the number of eggs. Your eggs will be kept in a secure environment for storage until you need them.

Common Questions About Fertility Preservation

What is fertility preservation?

How long can eggs, sperm, or embryos be stored?

Freezing Sperm: In theory, sperm can be frozen indefinitely as long as it was a high-quality sample and it is stored correctly inside liquid nitrogen. There have been successful pregnancies using sperm that has been stored for 20 years.

Freezing Eggs: Egg freezing is relatively new long term-data is somewhat limited. However, recent studies indicate that the duration of egg freezing has no impact on live birth rate. This means that there was no difference in pregnancy rate between an egg that was frozen for one year or an egg that was frozen for five years. Approximately 85% of eggs survive thawing but this number depends on the quality of the eggs which is directly related to the age at which they were frozen.

Freezing Embryos: Like sperm, there is good data to suggest that embryos can be frozen indefinitely. Pregnancies have been reported from embryos that have been frozen for more than 20 years. More than 90% of embryos will survive the thawing process.

Does freezing harm eggs, sperm or embryos?

Studies show that the freezing and warming of eggs, sperm and embryos results in pregnancy rates similar to rates when fresh eggs, sperm and embryos are used. Also, there is no increase in chromosomal abnormalities, birth defects or developmental deficits when using frozen eggs, sperm, or embryos. Because eggs are one cell and contain a large amount of water, they are more challenging to freeze. As a result, there is a reduced survival rate of eggs when thawed when compared to sperm and embryos. Roughly 85% of eggs survive a thaw.

What do I need to know about sperm freezing?

Sperm freezing is quite common and straightforward. A semen sample can be produced at home and brought to the clinic as long as it can be dropped off within two hours of production. Alternatively, you can produce a sample at the clinic in one of our private rooms. Before freezing your sperm, we will want to make sure it is healthy. In some instances, the doctor may recommend freezing more than one sample depending on the quality, quantity and motility of your sperm as well as the likely method of conception in the future. Conceiving using intrauterine insemination (IUI) will require a greater number of high-quality sperm. Pregnancy with in vitro fertilization (IVF) can be achieved with a much smaller number of sperm. Once a sample has been produced and analyzed by our lab, we will notify you of the results and talk about whether an additional sample might be required.

Are there any risks or side effects of fertility preservation?

The potential risks and side effects of fertility preservation depend on the method used.

Egg Freezing and Embryo Freezing: Side effects are minimal and short lasting. Common side effects include mild abdominal cramping or bloating. There is also a small risk of infection, bleeding, and damage to surrounding organs during the procedure. There are also risks associated with the anesthesia. If your ovaries contain a lot of eggs, you may experience more bloating and discomfort towards the last few days of stimulation. Some patients may experience moodiness or headaches. However, most do not experience any significant side effects. There may be emotional and psychological effects associated with fertility preservation, such as stress and anxiety.

Sperm Freezing: There are no risks associated with sperm freezing.

What are my chances of conceiving using frozen eggs, sperm, or embryos?

The chances of getting pregnant using frozen eggs, embryos, or sperm is not appreciably different than using fresh eggs, sperm, or embryos. However, the survival of eggs is lower (about 85%) than it is for sperm and embryos so it is important to freeze enough eggs to improve your chances of pregnancy.

Pregnancy outcomes depend on a number of factors including age at the time eggs are frozen as well as the quantity and quality of the eggs retrieved. Other factors include your medical history and quality of sperm used at time of insemination. A recent study at Brigham & Women’s Hospital reported the following results using frozen eggs:

If you are under 35 and you freeze 10 eggs, your chances of at least one live birth using those eggs later are about 60–70%; the success rate increases to 90% when freezing 20 eggs.
If you are 37, your chances for at least one live birth later are about 50% with 10 frozen eggs and 75% with 20 frozen eggs.
If you are 40, your chances for at least one live birth later are about 30% with 10 frozen eggs and 50% with 20 frozen eggs.

What if I don't use my eggs, sperm, or embryos in the future?

It is possible that you will not have a need for your frozen eggs, sperm, or embryos in the future. You have several options, including:

Donating your eggs, sperm, or embryos to research to improve reproductive techniques.
Discarding your eggs, sperm, or embryos.
Donating your eggs, sperm, or embryos to another person.
Continuing to store your eggs, sperm, or embryos until you are ready to make a decision.

Markham Fertility will never do anything to your eggs, sperm, or embryos without your written consent. In the case of embryos, we require consent from both parties, unless one of the parties was a donor.

A note about donating eggs: You have the option to donate your unused eggs, but you will need to make this decision before you start your egg freezing cycle. Egg donors must undergo a series of genetic tests, infectious disease screening and a full physical exam before they are cleared for donation. There is an additional cost associated with these tests. If you’d like the option to donate your eggs to someone you know in the future, talk to your fertility physician. Markham Fertility does not currently offer the option of anonymous egg donation.

How much does fertility preservation cost?

Freezing eggs, sperm, or embryos is a safe and effective strategy for preserving your fertility for the future.