Cryopreservation of oocytes to preserve female fertility

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study is to obtain information on the possibilities and success rate of cryopreservation of human oocytes. In the Czech Republic, this method is used to prolong women‘s reproductive health to a limited extent due to low awareness among women and also due to the high cost of this method. Materials and methods: Ninety-three oocyte retrievals were evaluated in women with oocyte retrievals intended for vitrification and long-term storage to extend reproductive age. Clients were divided according to age into two groups: under 35 years old and over 35 years old. At the same time, each age group was divided into two groups according to the number of vitrified oocytes: under 4 oocytes and over 4 oocytes. Furthermore, the success rate of the oocyte vitrification method was compared with the success rate of oocyte vitrification in healthy anonymous donors. Results: In order to obtain information on the success rate of the oocyte vitrification method, we evaluated the survival rate (SR), fertilization rate (FR) and utilization rate (UR) in each group. SR was 61.5–89.3%, with the lowest value in older clients with a low oocyte count. FR was 50.0–80.0%, where the lowest value was again seen in older clients with a low oocyte count. UR was 34.9–75.0%, where the lowest value was seen in the group of older clients with a higher vitrified oocyte count compared to the other groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, the age at the time of oocyte freezing and the number of stored oocytes remain the two key factors that determine the success rate to secure the possibility of having a child in the future.