Social Freezing
Often, private or professional situations get in the way of fulfilling the desire to have children. However, the biological clock takes no account of individual life planning. The quality of the eggs and thus the likelihood of pregnancy decreases with age.
Freezing eggs for non-medical reasons is called "social freezing" and makes it possible to extend the window of opportunity for a successful pregnancy. Here, too, it is important to find the best approach for your personal situation.
For women
For professional or partnership reasons, it can make sense for women to build up a stock of eggs at their most fertile age. This can be used in later years to fulfil the desire to have children. In women, fertility declines to a relevant degree from the age of 35. This is due, for example, to the decreasing egg supply and the increasing rate of eggs that have defective genetic material. In this case, we try to stimulate the ovaries by hypophyseal hormones like FSH for about 10-12 days. The aim is to obtain as many oocytes as possible, which can then be removed under ultrasound control during a short anaesthetic (follicle sampling). The laboratory checks how many oocytes are of sufficient quality for the freezing process.
Depending on the age of the patient, it is recommended that an egg stock of at least 10-15 (preferably 20) eggs be created so that the probability of a successful pregnancy is higher. This means that many women need several treatment cycles, depending on their individual ovarian reserve, to build up a sufficient egg supply. Ideally, social freezing should take place before the age of 40, or even better, before the age of 35. The individual chances can be assessed beforehand by means of laboratory tests and ultrasound examination.
Social freezing is not covered by statutory or private health insurance. However, counselling on this topic is generally billable for you via your insurance company. The cost of treatment per cycle varies depending on the number of eggs and the amount of medication needed. Roughly speaking, the cost of a treatment cycle is around € 2,500- 3,500. In addition, there are the storage costs of the frozen oocytes per year (approx. € 400 per year).
For men
For men, it is possible to freeze sperm for many years. When the time is right, the desire to have a child can be fulfilled with the help of an assisted fertilisation method.
The fertility of the man is preserved longer than that of the woman. Nevertheless, an incipient and relevant restriction of fertility must be expected from the age of 50 at the latest. Therefore, fertility prophylaxis measures for occupational or social reasons can also be considered for men.
For the cryopreservation of the ejaculate, a semen sample is given. If the sample contains sufficient motile sperm, it can be frozen.
Social freezing of sperm is not covered by statutory or private health insurance. The costs vary depending on the amount of sperm samples provided (approx. € 150 per sample). In addition, there are the storage costs per year (approx. € 400 per year).