Dr. Michael Kettel of San Diego Fertility Center Interviewed by the San Diego Union-Tribune on Egg Freezing
San Diego Fertility Center's Dr. Michael Kettel spoke to the San Diego Union-Tribune on the increasingly popular egg freezing procedure, including why more women are preserving their fertility and starting a family later in life.
Egg freezing is becoming an increasingly popular option for family planning as more women consider the procedure to help ensure future fertility. As Dr. Michael Kettel explained in an article from the San Diego Union-Tribune (30 June 2015), egg freezing is an option that wasn’t available for previous generations who had to make choices between their fertility and their career or personal goals. Women facing medical treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can also benefit from egg freezing as these cancer treatments can potentially harm a woman’s fertility long-term.
Dr. Kettel clarified that although egg freezing should not be considered a “guarantee to lead to childbirth,” more and more women are considering the procedure “by weighing the pros and cons based on their personal circumstances and should consult with their doctor to learn about their fertility potential, the risks of delayed childbirth and the facts associated with elective egg freezing.”
The article highlights how egg freezing works, including the similarities the procedure shares with In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). During the egg freezing process, a woman uses contraception (birth control pills) for two to three weeks, then takes fertility medications to stimulate her ovaries. The patient is then monitored to see if she is responding well to these medications, and if so, egg retrieval is scheduled. This procedure requires light anesthesia, and from this point the eggs are taken to a laboratory, frozen and stored for future use.
Dr. Kettel explained that success rates for egg freezing can vary greatly, as reporting from fertility clinics is still a relatively new process. However, he remained optimistic that as the process continues to grow in popularity, statistics will eventually reveal that “hundreds, if not thousands, of babies (were) born this way”, and egg freezing’s use will continue to expand as many women look to build their families later in life.
About San Diego Fertility Center
Located in Southern California, San Diego Fertility Center is an internationally recognized fertility treatment center. Named among the top fertility doctors by a variety of publications, SDFC's infertility specialists are leaders in In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), egg donation, egg freezing, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), male infertility and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). San Diego Fertility Center is easily accessible from local communities, such as La Jolla and Encinitas, or points further, such as Murrieta and Temecula. SDFC also welcomes out-of-state patients and provides fertility tourism and fertility travel accommodations for patients all over the world.
