Elective and Onco-fertility Preservation Outcomes After Oocyte Vitrification

Fertility preservation is a relatively recent discipline that started to be considered a few years ago in the treatment of cancer affecting young patients but also for those women who wished to delay motherhood electively. Oocyte cryopreservation is currently the fertility preservation technique of choice. This treatment does not guarantee pregnancy, only a limited number of IVF attempts, depending on the availability of oocytes. Clinical results and outcome after oocyte vitrification are similar to those obtained with fresh oocytes and therefore highly dependent on age at the moment of vitrification and the number of available mature oocytes. Age may affect all markers of success after vitrification for fertility preservation: number of oocytes, survival, and clinical results. Fifteen oocytes is the desirable number with better results in terms of live birth, and 36 years could be suggested as a threshold for better and worse outcomes. ART may help cancer patients to achieve a pregnancy with good obstetric outcomes and apparent oncological safety. Although counseling has to be made on an individual basis, fertility preservation in cancer patients and later pregnancy in survivors after adequate treatment and follow-up should not be discouraged.