There are people amongst us who lose their fertility sooner than they should. The reasons vary greatly, but the solution is always the same – safeguarding your fertility whilst there is still time.
At INVICTA, we offer solutions to help you preserve your fertility until you’re ready to start a family.
Fertility preservation is a medical procedure aimed at ensuring the ability to have children in the future – in situations where there is a risk of permanent or significant impairment of reproductive function. This applies to people who are struggling with illnesses or injuries, or who require treatment that may adversely affect the body’s ability to produce eggs or sperm.
The female and male fertility preservation programme offers a range of options for people wishing to freeze their gametes.
In Poland, the option to freeze reproductive cells for non-medical reasons – known as ‘social freezing’ – is currently restricted. The legislation allows fertility preservation only for people who are at risk of losing or significantly impairing their fertility as a result of illness, injury or medical treatment. This means that only the following may make use of this option:
Methods of preserving fertility in women:
Methods of preserving male fertility:
Fertility preservation methods for children/adolescents:
At INVICTA Clinics, patients undergoing fertility preservation are looked after by a dedicated case manager who supports them at every stage of the process. Their role is not only to provide all the necessary information, but also to offer organisational and specialist support.
At our clinics, patients who wish to preserve their fertility are given high-priority care. Once a treatment plan has been agreed with a doctor, men can begin the procedure within just 1–2 days, whilst women can do so within 4–5 weeks.
We carry out thousands of procedures involving the freezing and thawing of biological material every year, and we do this so effectively that our successful thawing rate exceeds 95 per cent. We performed our first ovarian tissue freezing procedures back in 2009.
The effectiveness of fertility treatment methods is measured by the live birth rate. At our clinic, this stands at 20–50 per cent, with the patient’s age and the cause of the fertility problems being key factors.
The role of a patient care coordinator at INVICTA is to provide comprehensive support at every stage of the fertility preservation process. This person ensures that the patient feels looked after, well-informed and confident about the next steps.
The coordinator provides all the necessary organisational and financial information, explains how the clinic operates and helps with completing all the necessary paperwork. They act as a constant link between the patient and the medical team – responding to messages, addressing non-medical concerns regarding the procedure, and serving as the first point of contact for organisational matters.
It’s very simple! Contact us via our helpline or the enquiry form, and we’ll guide you through the next steps.
Your consultant will carefully review your case and recommend the best method for fertility preservation, taking into account your planned treatment. During your appointment, you’ll also receive answers to any questions you may have about the entire fertility preservation process.
A cancer diagnosis is a huge challenge, and fertility issues often take a back seat in the face of it. However, the decision to preserve reproductive material before starting cancer treatment can be of crucial importance for the future. Time is of the essence, which is why cancer patients are covered by a special, fast-track Oncofertility procedure.
Oncofertility involves not only selecting the most effective methods of fertility preservation for cancer patients, but also the rapid and safe collection, preservation and storage of biological material until the cancer has been brought under control.
Semen freezing
Includes:
• general semen analysis,
• pre-treatment consultation/assessment with a health assessment report,
• semen preparation and freezing,
• storage of semen in liquid nitrogen,
• infectious disease tests required prior to freezing.
Additional charges:
• charge for special semen preparation in the event of a positive infectious disease test result,
• alternative charge for quarantine storage of semen in the absence of infectious disease tests.
Freezing of semen from testicular biopsy
Includes:
• a consultation to assess suitability for biopsy and semen freezing (including a health assessment),
• anaesthetist’s consultation, tests required for the administration of anaesthesia, and infectious disease tests required for semen storage,
• collection of material from the testicles/epididymis under anaesthesia,
• freezing of the material,
• one year’s storage.
Egg freezing
This includes:
• medical assessment and pre-screening laboratory tests, including tests for infectious diseases,
• anaesthetic assessment prior to anaesthesia,
• a medical assessment of the patient’s health prior to the commencement of pharmacological ovulation stimulation,
• ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval under anaesthesia,
• preparation and freezing of the eggs,
• storage of oocytes in liquid nitrogen.
Embryo freezing
This includes:
• medical assessment and pre-treatment laboratory tests, including tests for infectious diseases,
• anaesthetic assessment prior to anaesthesia,
• a medical assessment prior to the commencement of pharmacological ovulation stimulation,
• ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval under anaesthesia,
• preparation of the eggs and their fertilisation,
• production of embryos and their freezing,
• storage of frozen embryos.
Freezing of ovarian tissue
The process involves the preparation and freezing of ovarian tissue, as well as its storage. Infectious disease tests must be carried out on each occasion.
Our patients’ stories
The choice of fertility preservation method depends primarily on: age, diagnosis, the type of treatment planned, state of health, whether the patient has a long-term partner, and the patient’s wishes.
During the initial consultation, the doctor explains the options available for preserving fertility; however, the final decision on which specific medical procedure to choose always rests with the patient, and in the case of minors, also with their legal guardians.
Fertility preservation is available to patients of any gender and of any age (children and adults) who are suffering from a medical condition or undergoing treatment that may adversely affect their fertility.
Methods of preserving fertility in women include the freezing of mature eggs, the freezing of embryos, and the freezing of ovarian tissue. In some cases, it is also possible to use techniques such as ovarian transposition or the use of GnRH analogues.
Men can preserve their fertility by freezing sperm obtained from ejaculate. In cases where sperm cannot be obtained through masturbation, a testicular biopsy can be performed to obtain it. Testicular tissue can also be frozen to preserve male fertility.
Children who have not yet reached puberty can also benefit from fertility preservation. For girls, it is possible to freeze ovarian tissue, whilst for boys, testicular tissue can be frozen. Freezing ovarian tissue is a recognised and widely used method, whilst freezing testicular tissue, particularly in boys before puberty, remains an experimental method.
