Oocyte vitrification as a choice of fertility preservation and its role in endometriosis cohort

Abstract

Endometriosis is being widely diagnosed in women of reproductive age. There often arises a situation which compromises the fecundity of those women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis as it affects the ovarian tissue, lowers ovarian response to stimulation, and may also lead to premature ovarian failure. In order to treat the condition for shifting the living experience of the patients to a better edge, various treatments are being offered. However, surgical interventions are associated with lower ovarian reserve. In endometriosis patients without a male partner, oocyte vitrification can play a vital role. The same can be a choice when there are unforeseen events of azoospermia. The success of oocyte vitrification is dependent on outcome of appropriate treatment protocols followed by technical expertise. This qualitative review has been performed to understand the paradigm of managing the disease and also the role of oocyte vitrification in an endometriosis cohort. An electronic literature search was performed in PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar search engines to retrieve 51 articles that comprised of original articles, short reports, review articles, meta-analysis, and case studies published so far in the relevant field. The search terms used were oocyte vitrification, fertility preservation, endometriosis, endometrioma, infertility, ovarian reserve, and moderate to severe endometriosis. Articles of languages other than English were excluded.