Preventing Age Related Fertility Loss

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. Female Age and Reproductive Chances

   • A. C. de Kat, F. J. M. Broekmans

   Pages 1-10

3. Late Motherhood in Low-Fertility Countries: Reproductive Intentions, Trends and Consequences

   • Tomáš Sobotka, Éva Beaujouan

   Pages 11-29

4. Treatment Options for Age Related Fertility Loss

   • Panagiotis Drakopoulos, Nikolaos P. Polyzos

   Pages 31-42

5. Preliminary Assessment Prior to Oocyte Cryopreservation

   • O. Rustamov, S. K. Sunkara

   Pages 43-52

6. Alternative Options for Preventive Oocyte Cryopreservation

   • Marja Visser

   Pages 53-59

7. The Profile of a Pioneer Cohort of Women Opting for Oocyte Cryopreservation for Non-medical Reasons

   • Julie Nekkebroeck

   Pages 61-71

8. Ovarian Stimulation Prior to Elective Oocyte Cryopreservation

   • C. Iglesias, J. A. García-Velasco

   Pages 73-86

9. Oocyte Cryopreservation Technique

   • Neelke De Munck, Gábor Vajta, Laura Rienzi

   Pages 87-101

10. Optimal Preparation Prior to the Use of Cryopreserved Oocytes

    • Shari Mackens, Arne van de Vijver, Samuel Santos-Ribeiro

    Pages 103-116

11. Clinical Outcome After Oocyte Cryopreservation for Elective Fertility Preservation

    • Ana Cobo

    Pages 117-124

12. Safety of Preventive Oocyte Cryopreservation

    • Shruti Parikh, Christophe Blockeel

    Pages 125-139

13. Procreative Procrastination: The Ethics of Postponed Parenthood

    • Daniela Cutas, Anna Smajdor, Kristien Hens

    Pages 141-156

14. Ethical Aspects of AGE Banking

    • Heidi Mertes

    Pages 157-168

15. Back Matter

    Pages 169-172

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This unique book provides expert advice on all the different aspects related to fertility preservation for age related infertility. Although, there is a lot of information available on the Internet and in books about fertility preservation for cancer treatment, little information is available for young women that are confronted with a ticking biological clock. While men have been able to cryopreserve sperm since the 1950s, women have only recently gained the opportunity to preserve their gametes through the egg vitrification technique. Therefore, many women confronted with a risk of imminent fertility loss, such as chemotherapy, are now freezing their oocytes instead of embryos. Successful oocyte cryopreservation offers them a reproductive autonomy independent of men. Moreover, it now enables single women to preserve their reproductive chances.   The most important threat for female fertility is ovarian aging as it causes a progressive decline in the reproductive chances. The general trend to delay motherhood due to societal changes confronts many women and couples with a diminished fertility. This fertility problem can often not be cured by in vitro fertilization, which makes that an increasing number of women require oocyte donation as the treatment of last resort.  In the last few years, fertility centres around the world have started to offer the opportunity cryopreserve oocytes to young, often highly educated, single women.  This patient population is unique as compared to other patients in the fertility clinic as they perform a preventive treatment.  They are neither confronted with infertility nor are they undergoing a treatment that might cause an imminent treat to their fertility.

• Cryopreservation
• Fertility
• Fertility Preservation
• Oocyte
• Ovarian Aging
• Vitrification

• Centre for Reproductive Medicine, UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

  Dominic Stoop

Dominic Stoop took his medical degree in 2001 and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynaecology in 2007 at the Ghent University, Belgium. He joined the Centre for Reproductive Medicine of the Free University of Brussels in 2008 where he is currently a professor. He is a member of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology board-certified subspecialist in reproductive medicine and surgery. His main clinical and research interests include gynaecology and ovary freezing.

Policies and ethics