maximunimpact:
A leading fertility clinic in Nigeria, Bridge Clinic, has welcomed the first baby boy, Tiwatope, conceived through the oocyte (egg) freezing protocol.

Cryopreservation refers to the cooling of cells and tissues to sub-zero temperatures in order to stop all biological activity and preserve them from future use. Human oocyte cryopreservation (egg freezing) is a process in which a woman’s eggs (oocytes) are extracted, frozen and stored. Later, when she is ready to become pregnant, the eggs can be thawed, fertilised, and transferred to the uterus as embryos.

This offering is being delivered to many women in the developed world and is now being offered in Nigeria by The Bridge Clinic at a cost more affordable than what is obtained abroad.

Tiwatope’s mother had her eggs frozen, using the vitrification, also known as flash-freezing, process. This is the cutting edge technology in cryobiology, where the eggs or oocytes of a woman are dehydrated and the water content is replaced with “anti-freeze” solution (cryoprotectants) before freezing. This will prevent the formation ofice crystals which could destroy the cell.

Tiwa’s birth is significant in many respects. He puts Nigeria on the global map as regards the practice of oocyte cryopreservation, a new offering in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) space.

Before his birth on 16 February, 2016, this new practice seemed to be an exclusive preserve of the developed world of Europe and North America.

It is even more significant, considering that since the report of the first pregnancy through this protocol in 1986, the practice has resulted in the birth of only about 5,000 babies worldwide.

“At the Bridge Clinic, we celebrate Tiwa’s birth as it is a further demonstration of our coming of age in the practice of assisted reproductive technology. It is a show of the sum of our strengths – our people, our process and our infrastructure. It demonstrates our commitment to global best practices which ensures that our offerings are in tandem with what is obtainable in the developed world, both in variety and in quality.” Said Emmanuel Owie, fertility physician at The Bridge Clinic.

On Tiwa’s mother’s readiness for pregnancy, Emmanuel said “we fertilised the eggs using a standard technique known as Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) in order to overcome the egg shell which normally gets hardened with freezing. The fertilised egg was subsequently transferred into her womb, resulting in the pregnancy with Tiwa. She had her ante natal care in her family hospital and delivered the baby boy through caesarian section.”

“The baby and his mother are in good health to the delight of the family and friends but do not want to put their faces to the names due to the sensitivity that still goes with novel developments like IVF, understandably.

“ They have however, given us permission to use the real name of the baby boy (not surname) as well as the photographs of the new baby,” said Ekundayo Omogbehin, corporate marketing and consumer relations coordinator, Bridge Clinic.

The Bridge Clinic is of the opinion that one day, Tiwa’s parents will overcome the sensitivities and come out to encourage other women who may be in need of this offering to come for it.

Cryopreservation has always played a central role in assisted reproductive technology. The first cryopreservation of sperm was in 1953 and of embryos in 1983. Christopher Chen of Singapore reported the world’s first pregnancy in 1986 using previously frozen oocytes.

These eggs were frozen using a slow-freeze method. This report stood alone for several years, indicating a much lower success rate than that of traditional in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques using fresh oocytes. Then came a new direction in cryobiologyin 1999, called vitrification, a flash-freezing process used by Lilia Kuleshova, to achieve a live birth from frozen human oocytes.

Generally, egg freezing is viewed as a way to thwart a “ticking biological clock” of women who when they grow older, are more likely to produce eggs that will have chromosomal abnormalities that can make it harder or impossible for them to conceive and carry pregnancies to term.

According to Emmanuel, “egg freezing is particularly recommended for the following women diagnosed with cancer that may lose their fertility during chemotherapy, women with a family history of early menopause, women with objections to storing frozen embryos for religious and/or moral reasons and women who want or need to delay childbearing in order to pursue some personal goals.”

Based on studies, egg thaw rates of 75% and fertilisation rates of 75% are anticipated in women up to 38 years of age. Thus, if 10 eggs are frozen, 7 are expected to survive the thaw, and 5 to 6 are expected to fertilise and become embryos. Usually 3-4 embryos are transferred in women up to 38 years of age. It is recommended that ten eggs be stored for each pregnancy attempt.

http://www.financialwatchngr.com/2016/04/01/first-baby-conceived-cryopreservation-emerges-bridge-clinic/