PATIENT INFORMATION SHEET
Oocyte freezing
Oocyte cryopreservation is still in the research/development stage.
As such information about survival rates is limited. Survival rates have
been reported to be as low as 2.2% or between 30 and 55.1%. Fertilisation
following freezing with conventional IVF was very variable, possibly due
to zona hardening and ICSI has been suggested to be the fertilisation method
of choice. Despite this fertilisation rates have been reported with conventional
IVF of 43%, and following ICSI of 50-66%. Only one study has reported a
series of patients, the remainder have been case reports; in this series,
pregnancy rates were 5 of 22 (23%) couples undergoing oocyte cryopreservation.
We can undertake oocyte cryopreservation, but we do not have any data
of our own and data in the literature is limited.
The charge for this procedure is the same as embryo cryopreservation:
£200
Counselling
If you are considering oocyte freeing, counselling will be offered to
you. Issues raised will include the experimental nature of the technique,
and that no guarantee can be offered currently regarding their fertility
potential on thawing. You will be counselled with regard to tissue left
in storage if one or both of you die i.e. whether to destroy the tissue
or use it for research or for it to be used by your appointed proxies.
The following issues will also be discussed: What happens if the tissue
is unusable? What happens if the treatment fails.