Protection of Fertility

Today, many factors can negatively affect fertility in both women and men. In particular, cancer treatments, genetic diseases, certain surgical procedures, and advancing age may significantly reduce the chance of having children later in life. In such situations, fertility preservation treatments come into play in order to protect the possibility of achieving pregnancy in the future for couples or individuals.

Thanks to the opportunities offered by modern medicine, reproductive cells can be frozen using special techniques and safely stored for many years. Especially the vitrification method used for freezing eggs and sperm is considered one of the most effective and reliable fertility preservation methods today.

Fertility Preservation for Women

Female fertility is directly related to ovarian reserve. Ovarian reserve may decrease over time depending on age, genetic factors, past illnesses, and applied treatments. Cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, in particular, can cause serious damage to ovarian tissue, increase the risk of early menopause, and completely eliminate the chance of pregnancy.

For this reason, egg freezing is of great importance for all women—whether married or not—who are at risk of losing their fertility in the future. Women who have been diagnosed with cancer and have not yet started treatment are advised to receive information about fertility preservation methods without delay.

In addition, not only cancer patients but also women with decreased ovarian reserve, those with a family history of early menopause, or women planning to become mothers at an advanced age may benefit from these methods. For married women, embryo freezing is preferred, while egg freezing is generally recommended for unmarried women.

The methods used to preserve female fertility generally include the following:

• Egg freezing
• Ovarian tissue freezing
• Embryo freezing

Egg freezing consists of stages similar to a conventional IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatment process. First, the ovaries are stimulated with hormonal medications to allow multiple eggs to mature. Then, the mature eggs are collected and evaluated in terms of quality.

High-quality eggs are frozen using a rapid freezing technique called vitrification and stored under special conditions. This method prevents the formation of ice crystals inside the cells and ensures that the cells maintain their viability after thawing. The entire process generally takes about two to three weeks.

Ovarian tissue freezing is a method preferred especially for patients who need to start treatment urgently and have limited time. In this procedure, a portion of ovarian tissue is surgically removed and frozen for storage. At a later stage, this tissue can be transplanted back into the body.

Embryo freezing can only be performed for married women. With the approval of a medical board, eggs obtained from the woman are fertilized with sperm from the male partner, and the resulting embryos are frozen and stored for future use.

In particular, in conditions such as breast cancer—where increased estrogen levels may negatively affect the course of the disease—medications such as Femara (letrozole) are used during ovarian stimulation. In this way, eggs can be obtained without adversely affecting the course of cancer treatment.

Fertility Preservation Treatments for Men

Fertility is not an issue exclusive to women. In men as well, various diseases, treatments, and surgical procedures can negatively affect sperm production. Especially after chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgeries involving the testes, sperm production may completely cease.

Therefore, freezing sperm cells before planned treatments is of great importance for preserving the chance of fatherhood in the future. After obtaining the necessary medical approval, sperm samples can be collected, frozen, and stored for many years.

The main situations in which sperm freezing is recommended include:

• Before treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy that may damage sperm cells
• Before surgical procedures that may lead to loss of reproductive function (such as removal of the testes)
• If sperm has been obtained through surgical methods, to avoid repeating the procedure
• In patients with severely low sperm count and a risk of having no sperm in the future

Sperm freezing is usually completed in a short time and does not pose an additional risk to the patient. The collected sperm samples are prepared with special protective solutions and frozen using the vitrification method.

Frozen sperm can be safely used in IVF or insemination treatments in later years. The ability of sperm to maintain viability after thawing largely depends on the experience of the center where the procedure is performed.

The Importance of the Center and Experience in Fertility Preservation Treatments

Freezing reproductive cells is an extremely delicate process that requires advanced technical expertise. Therefore, it is crucial that these procedures are performed only in experienced centers with strong laboratory infrastructure and up-to-date technologies.

Just as important as freezing, the thawing process also directly affects the chances of pregnancy. Reproductive cells stored under appropriate conditions and thawed using correct methods can lead to successful pregnancies in the future.

Fertility preservation treatments are important medical practices that give individuals time and help protect their dreams of having children in the future. For this reason, individuals at risk are advised to consult an infertility and IVF specialist without delay to obtain detailed information.