Fertility preservation (cryopreservation of oocytes, embryos and sperm)
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The program includes the cryopreservation of oocytes, embryos and sperm. This technique is applied in cases of serious illness, such as cancer, where treatment (e.g. chemotherapy, surgery, etc.) may compromise the oocytes or the spermatozoa.
Additionally, some women (and men as well) choose to preserve their fertility for social reasons. For instance, an individual aged 30 – 35, or younger, who does not intend to start a family in the near future and wishes to “stop the biological clock”.Oocyte cryopreservation involves collecting the oocytes, via a transvaginal egg collection either with no drugs (natural cycle) or following ovarian stimulation, and then cryopreserving them.
When the woman wishes to conceive, her oocytes are thawed and fertilized with her partner's sperm.
A normally fertilized oocyte will produce a viable embryo that can, in turn, be transferred to the woman’s uterus and result in a pregnancy.
The chances of pregnancy depend on the age of the oocytes (in other words, the age of the patient when her eggs were cryopreserved).
Any supernumery good quality embryos resulting from the IVF process may be cryopreserved and used at a later time.
It is also possible for men to preserve their fertility, particularly when they are to undergo treatment for cancer that may compromise it.
Before commencing treatment, a semen sample (which contains spermatozoa) is cryopreserved and may be stored indefinitely, until it is needed.
The Greek Law covers all of the above procedures.
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