Want a Baby when you’re 40? Vitrification Makes it Possible

Decades ago, it was the norm for women to settle down and start a family in their early twenties. In these times, however, more and more women have ventured passionately into pursuing their careers and achieving financial stability as individuals before getting married.

As women foray into businesses or climb up the career ladder, the age at which women get married has been pushed back, starting from their early thirties to their early forties. With growingly diversified views on marriage and parenting, more women also no longer view marriage as a pre-requisite to having children.

As such, ways have been developed to stretch the biological clock  of women. Aside from aiding them in getting pregnant at a later and more high-risk age, these also allow them to conceive when they see fit.
One process, called vitrification, also known as flash freezing, involves preserving healthy and unfertilized eggs with liquid nitrogen for use in the future.

The advantages of vitrification versus other forms of freezing eggs is that the eggs have a 95 percent chance of surviving and does not cause the formation of ice crystals, which can destroy eggs. It also lets women choose who they want to be the father of the child when they’re ready to get pregnant.

Available in the U.S., this procedure can be quite costly, but can potentially become more affordable as the method is refined. 

Experts are aware that such an option might encourage younger and younger women to have their eggs frozen as a safety precaution. These can also include those suffering from a disease that might damage their eggs, or those who have a family history of early menopause.

Would you consider vitrification, if it was available in the Philippines? Why or why not? We’d love to know. Share with us your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

You may also want to read:

• Flash Freezing Eggs can Help Older Moms Conceive 

• More Women Freeze Eggs to Freeze Biological Clock, says Study 

• Your Biological Clock: Planning to Get Pregnant 

• Before Getting Pregnant: Gender Specific Biological Clocks and Miscarriage 

Sources:

• January 23, 2012. Rebecca Dana. “The Vitrification Fertility Option” thedailybeast.com 

• October 10, 2011. “What Is Egg Vitrification And Who Can Benefit From It?” clinicafertia.com 

Photo by Jug Jones via flickr creative commons