Egg/Embryo freezing/ Sperm freezing

Fertility Preservation in Ahmedabad: Egg, Sperm & Embryo Freezing

Fertility preservation is the process of freezing eggs, sperm, or embryos so they can be used later, when you’re ready to try for a pregnancy or need a backup during fertility treatment. It’s chosen for medical reasons, such as before cancer treatment, or personal reasons, such as wanting more time before starting a family. Modern freezing techniques, particularly vitrification, preserve reproductive material with high survival through the freezing and thawing process.
Dr. Ladu Dewasi is a consultant gynaecologist and infertility specialist practising at Mayflower Women’s Hospital, Bopal-Ambli, Ahmedabad. Fertility preservation decisions are often time-sensitive, whether you’re preparing for a treatment that may affect fertility or planning ahead as part of your own family-building timeline, and she treats each case as its own conversation rather than a standard checklist. She also holds an MD in Anaesthesia, which is directly relevant here: egg retrieval, the step required for both egg and embryo freezing, is performed under sedation, and she manages that sedation herself rather than handing it off to someone meeting you for the first time.

What Is Cryopreservation?

Cryopreservation means freezing biological material at extremely low temperatures, around -196°C, using liquid nitrogen, so it can be stored until it’s needed. At this temperature, the cellular processes that would otherwise cause the material to deteriorate are effectively paused. In fertility medicine, cryopreservation is used for eggs (oocyte cryopreservation), sperm (sperm cryopreservation), and embryos (embryo cryopreservation).

Two freezing methods are used:

  • Vitrification: a rapid-freezing technique that minimises the formation of ice crystals, which can damage cells. It’s the standard method used for eggs and embryos today because it gives meaningfully higher survival through the freeze-thaw process than the older slow-freezing method.
  • Slow freezing: a gradual cooling process carried out over several hours. It’s still commonly used for sperm, which tolerates freezing well due to its cell structure.

Before freezing, patients undergo blood tests for infections such as HIV and hepatitis B and C, in line with standard fertility-lab protocol.

Who Should Consider Fertility Preservation?

There’s no single profile for someone considering fertility preservation. The decision depends on your medical situation, reproductive goals, age, ovarian reserve, treatment plans, and personal circumstances, and the reasons fall broadly into two categories.

Medical Reasons

  • Before cancer treatment: chemotherapy and radiotherapy can significantly reduce or eliminate fertility, and freezing eggs, sperm, or embryos beforehand preserves the option of biological parenthood afterward
  • Before other fertility-affecting treatment or surgery: for example, surgery for severe endometriosis, or treatment that could affect ovarian or reproductive function
  • A family history of early menopause, where preserving eggs at a younger age protects against a narrowing fertility window
  • During an IVF cycle: freezing surplus good-quality embryos not transferred in the current cycle, or delaying transfer where clinically appropriate, such as a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)
  • Before a vasectomy, for men who want to preserve the option of biological fatherhood later

Personal Reasons

  • Not being ready to start a family yet, for career, education, financial, relationship, or other personal reasons, while preserving eggs or sperm at a younger, more fertile age
  • Not yet having the right partner: egg freezing preserves unfertilised eggs, so a partner or sperm source isn’t needed at the time of freezing
  • Planning ahead for future fertility treatment, so frozen eggs or embryos are available as an additional option if needed later

Age matters more for egg freezing than almost any other factor: egg quality and quantity decline progressively with age, so eggs frozen at a younger age generally offer better future reproductive potential than eggs frozen later. Your individual ovarian reserve, age, and fertility goals are discussed properly, with your actual numbers, at consultation, not reduced to a single age-based rule.

Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation): How It Works

  1. Ovarian stimulation: hormonal injections over roughly 10-12 days encourage multiple follicles to develop, monitored throughout with ultrasound and blood tests
  2. Egg retrieval: mature eggs are collected using a transvaginal ultrasound-guided needle, under sedation; the procedure takes about 20-30 minutes, and mild cramping or bloating may occur afterward, usually settling within a day or two
  3. Vitrification: mature eggs are rapidly frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen
  4. Later use: when you’re ready, the eggs are thawed and fertilised with sperm, usually via ICSI, and the resulting embryo can be considered for transfer to the uterus
The number of eggs retrieved varies by age, ovarian reserve, and individual response to stimulation, and is one of the things monitored and discussed with you throughout the cycle.

Sperm Freezing: How It Works

Sperm freezing is an established, technically straightforward method of fertility preservation, and sperm generally tolerates the freezing process well due to its cell structure.
  1. Sample collection: a semen sample is provided at the clinic
  2. Analysis: the sample is assessed for volume, sperm count, motility, and other standard parameters
  3. Freezing: a cryoprotectant is added to protect the sperm, and the sample is frozen using the laboratory’s established method
  4. Storage and future use: frozen sperm can later be used for IUI or IVF/ICSI, depending on the clinical situation
Sperm freezing is commonly chosen before cancer treatment, before a vasectomy, or by men who want stored sperm available ahead of planned fertility treatment.

Embryo Freezing: How It Works

Embryo freezing generally takes place as part of an IVF cycle, once eggs have been retrieved and fertilised with sperm.
  1. Fertilisation: retrieved eggs are fertilised in the lab, using conventional IVF or ICSI as appropriate
  2. Embryo culture: the resulting embryos are cultured for several days, typically to the blastocyst stage (day 5-6), and embryos suitable for freezing are selected
  3. Vitrification: suitable embryos are rapidly frozen for storage
  4. Storage and later transfer: frozen embryos are thawed and transferred in a future cycle, timed around natural ovulation or prepared using hormone medication, depending on your circumstances
Not every fertilised egg develops into an embryo suitable for freezing. Among embryos selected for freezing, modern vitrification generally provides high survival through thawing, and frozen embryo transfer is now a well-established part of fertility treatment, with outcomes broadly comparable to fresh transfers.

Storage: How Long Can Eggs, Sperm, and Embryos Be Kept Frozen?

In India, storage of eggs, sperm, and embryos is governed by the ART (Regulation) Act, 2021, and requires informed consent before freezing. This consent covers the storage period and what happens to the material if storage lapses or circumstances change, such as separation or death. The exact storage terms and renewal requirements are confirmed with the treating clinic and documented in writing before freezing, and it’s worth understanding these fully before you go ahead, not after.

Fertility Preservation Risks and What to Expect

Cryopreservation itself, once material is safely frozen, is a well-established and safe technique. The risks and limitations worth understanding relate mainly to the treatment process, particularly ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval, rather than to storage itself.

  • Mild discomfort or bloating can occur after egg retrieval and commonly settles within a short period
  • Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is a recognised, uncommon complication of ovarian stimulation, managed through monitoring and dose adjustment throughout the cycle
  • Not every egg or embryo survives freezing and thawing. Survival is generally high with modern vitrification, but some loss can occur, and the expected outcome depends on factors including age, egg or embryo quality, and the individual treatment cycle
 

Your doctor can walk you through the expected benefits, limitations, and risks specific to your medical history and fertility goals.

Ready to Explore Your Fertility Preservation Options?

Schedule a consultation with Dr. Ladu Dewasi to discuss whether egg, sperm, or embryo freezing is right for you, in a private, unhurried setting.
Book an Appointment

Why See Dr. Ladu Dewasi for Fertility Preservation

  • Dual qualification: Consultant Gynaecologist and MD in Anaesthesia, meaning the sedation for your egg retrieval is planned and managed personally by the same doctor overseeing your fertility care
  • Individualised planning: whether preservation is being considered for medical reasons or personal timing, the plan is built around your circumstances, ovarian reserve, age, and reproductive goals
  • Continuity of care: if frozen eggs or embryos are later used in an IVF/ICSI cycle, that’s managed by the same clinical team, at the same clinic

Ffrequently Asked Questions

Fertility preservation is the process of freezing eggs, sperm, or embryos so they can potentially be used for pregnancy in the future. It's considered before medical treatment that could affect fertility, or when someone wants to delay childbearing while preserving reproductive options.
Egg freezing preserves unfertilised eggs for possible fertilisation later. Embryo freezing preserves eggs that have already been fertilised, usually during an IVF cycle. Egg freezing doesn't require a partner or sperm source at the time of freezing; embryo freezing does, since fertilisation happens before the embryo is created.
Storage in India is governed by the ART (Regulation) Act, 2021, and by the consent and storage arrangements agreed with the clinic. The exact storage period, renewal terms, and what happens when storage ends are confirmed with the clinic before treatment.

The timing depends on which tests are needed. Basic consultations, blood tests, ultrasound, and semen analysis may be completed relatively quickly, while cycle-dependent investigations such as HSG or procedures such as hysteroscopy may need separate scheduling. Your doctor can explain the expected sequence after the initial consultation.

The egg retrieval procedure is performed under sedation, so discomfort during the procedure itself is minimised. Mild cramping, bloating, or pelvic discomfort may follow and usually improves within a short period.
Freezing itself is designed to preserve eggs and embryos for future use, but it doesn't guarantee a future pregnancy. Age at the time of freezing, and the number and quality of eggs or embryos available, are the biggest factors influencing the chance of success, more than the freezing process itself.
Men before cancer treatment, before a vasectomy, those with fertility risk from certain medical or occupational exposures, or anyone who wants stored sperm available ahead of planned fertility treatment.
Yes. Egg freezing preserves unfertilised eggs, so a partner or sperm source isn't required at the time of freezing, which is exactly why it's a common choice for women preserving fertility before they're ready to have children.
What happens to unused embryos depends on the consent and arrangements agreed when the embryos are frozen, along with applicable regulations. Typical options include continued storage, donation for others' treatment, donation for research, or disposal, and these are discussed and documented with the clinic in advance.
Not exactly. Egg and embryo freezing involve ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval similar to an IVF cycle, but the eggs or embryos are stored for future use instead of being transferred immediately. IVF/ICSI is the treatment used later when frozen eggs or embryos are put to use.
Dr. Ladu Dewasi consults at Mayflower Women's Hospital, Bopal-Ambli Junction, Sardar Patel Ring Road, Ahmedabad, and sees patients from South Bopal, Shela, Ghuma, Sanand Road, and surrounding areas. Appointments can be booked by phone, WhatsApp, or through the enquiry form on this site.
Whether you're preparing for a medical treatment that may affect fertility or simply want more time before starting a family, the right first step is understanding your options, timeline, and likely treatment pathway. A consultation can help you understand whether egg, sperm, or embryo freezing is appropriate for you, and what factors may influence how the stored material is used in the future.

Mayflower Women’s Hospital – 2nd Floor, Satyamev Elite Ambli, Junction, Sardar Patel Ring Rd, Bopal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380058

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