Social freezing and fertility preservation

The freedom to plan parenthood on your own terms

It represents a form of infertility prevention for people who wish to postpone parenthood or protect their fertility for medical or personal reasons.

The aim of social freezing is to preserve the possibility of biological parenthood even at a time when natural fertility is declining or may be threatened by a medical condition or planned treatment.

What is social freezing?

Social freezing involves freezing and long-term storage of eggs or sperm at a temperature of –196 °C in liquid nitrogen, where the cells can be stored for many years. If needed, they are carefully thawed and used as part of assisted reproduction treatment.

How Social Freezing Works

How social freezing works for women

Hormonal stimulation of the ovaries

Short-term hormonal stimulation, usually lasting 10–12 days, supports the maturation of a larger number of follicles.

Egg retrieval (OPU)

Egg retrieval is performed on an outpatient basis under short-term anaesthesia.

Freezing eggs using vitrification

Mature eggs are frozen using a very rapid freezing method that minimises the risk of damage.

Because eggs are more sensitive to the freezing and thawing process than embryos, it is usually recommended to preserve a higher number of eggs in order to increase the chance of a future pregnancy.

How sperm freezing works

Ejaculate collection

Laboratory processing of sperm

Freezing in liquid nitrogen

For men, the process is simpler and non-invasive. After the semen sample is collected, the sperm are processed in the laboratory and then frozen in liquid nitrogen. The method is suitable both for postponing parenthood and before treatment or procedures that may negatively affect fertility.