Egg cryopreservation
The freezing of eggs until you are ready to attempt pregnancy requires approximately two weeks of hormonal stimulation with injectable medication, and a ten minute procedure to extract eggs from the ovaries through the vaginal canal under local anesthesia. The eggs are frozen long-term until you are ready to conceive.
Embryo cryopreservation
The freezing of embryos until you are ready to attempt pregnancy requires the same stimulation as egg cryopreservation, but after the eggs are extracted, they are fertilized by partner or donor sperm to create embryos that are then frozen long-term.
Ovarian tissue cryopreservation*
The removal of part of the ovary or one whole ovary in order to freeze for future use is an experimental procedure that requires a laparoscopic (minimally-invasive procedure) under general anesthesia. You can generally start cancer treatment the next day. Once pregnancy is desired, the ovarian tissue is transplanted back onto or near the ovary and pregnancy is attempted naturally or through assisted reproductive techniques.
*Not available at Waterloo clinic location.
Sperm Freezing
You have the option of conserving sperm in a bank in case you cannot produce viable spermatozoa during or after medical treatment. In order to improve sperm viability, plan to produce three semen samples (on average) and practice sexual abstinence for two to five days prior to producing each sample.
