An embryologist and fertility advisor, Diane Amedo, has advised would-be parents to bank their eggs and sperms as surety for children when they are ready to start families.
She said rather than waiting to experience challenges with fertility, storing eggs and sperms when a person was in their prime was a better option for some fertility treatment procedures.
Diane Amedo explained, for instance, that the quality and quantity of eggs reduced from age 35 in women, affecting their fertility. She said although there might be some outliers, the reduction in the quality and quantity of eggs after 35 made it difficult for some women to produce normal pregnancies.
Similarly, in men, she said, the gradual decline in testosterone as they aged could contribute to the decline in quantity and quality of their sperms. “If you are a young person focused on your career or not in a stable relationship but would love to have children in future, you can do a fertility baseline assessment to know your state and then based on experts’ advice, plan what to do.
“From experience, we have realised most people do not know this and wait till later in their 40s when they face fertility challenges before they seek help from experts. During consultations, you realise they had decent salaries and could choose that option if they knew about it,” she explained.
According to the embryologist, there have been advancements in how gametes (sperm and egg cells) are stored, however, the success rate depended on what age they were frozen and the quantity.
“On average, you might need about 15 to 20 eggs to be able to have a chance of a successful pregnancy. Just because you have frozen an egg does not guarantee pregnancy. If you are able to freeze at a younger age when the eggs are healthier, you have a better chance of a successful pregnancy.