Egg preservatin (IVF)

[Precious Star]

What do you think of this new technology?
Egg preservation allows a woman to go through the in-vitro fertilization process, and her eggs are retrieved via surgery (needle inserted vaginally to extract mature eggs from ovaries). The eggs are then frozen. When she meets Mr. Right, the couple can complete the IVF process by having the eggs fertilized and implanted in her womb.

There is an ayah in sura Talaq which says that Allah SWT will provide solutions from a source that is unimaginable.

I think this technology is incredible for older (age 35+) unmarried women who hope to get married and have children some day. If they meet Mr. Right in their 40s, they can use their frozen eggs to try for a pregnancy. This technology is still experimental in some jurisdictions, but has seen much success.

Of course, for an unmarried woman, the procedure has its drawbacks. She has to inject herself with hormones three times per day, go for repeated vaginal ultrasounds, and the egg retrieval procedure itself is quite invasive. But the end result can truly be a miracle from Allah!

SubhanAllah!!!!!

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

Good to see you posting.

First reaction: ouch!!

Second reaction...I am going to wait to see what Sister Shyhijabi will post. She always gives us sound Islamic perspectives.

 

[Precious Star]

Yeah I guess you would have to have a high pain threshold, but sedation for the retrieval is required.

In terms of "Islamic perspective", do you mean, the Islamic perspective on miracles? IVF? As long as it is the woman's own egg and her husband's sperm that is involved, why would there be a problem (ie. no "donor" eggs/sperm)?

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

I simply mean what are the parameters that would make this procedure halaal for a woman. I understand the technology. I am interested in understanding all the ethical constraints. What is the Quranic evidence and Sunna support for a woman should she wish to undergo this procedure.

I just want to learn is this acceptable in Islam and why and if not why not.

 

[PeArLL]

Assalaam walaikum,

I simply mean what are the parameters that would make this procedure halaal for a woman. I understand the technology. I am interested in understanding all the ethical constraints. What is the Quranic evidence and Sunna support for a woman should she wish to undergo this procedure.

I just want to learn is this acceptable in Islam and why and if not why not.

:salam2:

Same here....

It's interesting... But painful, I guess?...

 

[Precious Star]

Assalaam walaikum,

I simply mean what are the parameters that would make this procedure halaal for a woman. I understand the technology. I am interested in understanding all the ethical constraints. What is the Quranic evidence and Sunna support for a woman should she wish to undergo this procedure.

I just want to learn is this acceptable in Islam and why and if not why not.

Hmm. I'm not sure if the Quran would contain references to such medical advances as this. That being said, we are always asked to look upon the miracles in the Quran as a sign of Allah's splendour and what He can accomplish for us. Just as we look to the Prophets Ayoub, Musa, and Yousef, we should also look at the life of Maryam, the wife of Zakariya who gave birth to Yahya, and Sara and Ibrahim. Truly, Allah caused miraculous births in each of their lives, esp. Maryam. In the past, I have often reflected on these stories, and drawn inspiration from them. Ive asked myself what they mean in my own life, includng the time that Allah led me to the grave of Prophet Yahya. When I came upon this new technology, I realized.... The promise of Allah is true.

 

[Murad206]

Assalamu alaikum, I think you should just keep natural, safer and less weird in my opinion.

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

That is so true. Know that you have a place deep in my heart. I make dua for you precious sister. InshaAllah, your sabr will be rewarded by the One Whose Treasures Have No End.

 

[ShyHijabi]

:salam2:

Freezing eggs is not IVF. Ovum cryogenics is reserved for women who have to undergo chemotherapy for cancer that can leave them sterile. It is very costly and also a fairly new technology. We have been able to freeze embryos (fertilized eggs) but the ability to freeze eggs is still very new and has a low success rate. For some reason the eggs just don't hold up that well under cryogenics. It is a VERY costly process and not undertaken casually.

IVF is where they remove the eggs, take the father's sperm and fertilize the egg in a petri dish. There are usually MANY embryos created this way so they put some in the mother and then freeze the rest for future attempts. This is done in the cases of infertility, both known causes and unknown causes. One of the most successful IVF clinics is located in KSA. Fatwas have been issued explaining that as long as the biological material is gotten from the mother and father then it is halaal. We are not permitted to use donor material or surrogates for carrying that child to term. The pregnancy must be carried by the mother.

 

[Precious Star]

:salam2:

Freezing eggs is not IVF. Ovum cryogenics is reserved for women who have to undergo chemotherapy for cancer that can leave them sterile. It is very costly and also a fairly new technology. We have been able to freeze embryos (fertilized eggs) but the ability to freeze eggs is still very new and has a low success rate. For some reason the eggs just don't hold up that well under cryogenics. It is a VERY costly process and not undertaken casually.

IVF is where they remove the eggs, take the father's sperm and fertilize the egg in a petri dish. There are usually MANY embryos created this way so they put some in the mother and then freeze the rest for future attempts. This is done in the cases of infertility, both known causes and unknown causes. One of the most successful IVF clinics is located in KSA. Fatwas have been issued explaining that as long as the biological material is gotten from the mother and father then it is halaal. We are not permitted to use donor material or surrogates for carrying that child to term. The pregnancy must be carried by the mother.

Egg freezing is not IVF but the protocol is the same. Its just that instead of the eggs being fertilized, they are frozen until such time that they can be fertiziled with sperm. The medication, injections, etc is all exactly the same as in the IVF protocol. In KSA it may be reserved for women who have cancer, but there are clinics in North America that will do the procedure for women who wish to preserve their fertility in the event that they do not get married before age 40.

Again, this is a miracle and blessing from Allah that He has given us the opportunity to have children beyond our "normal" childbearing years. And as you say, as long as you use the sperm of your husband, there is nothing unIslamic about it.

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

Let me understand this, please. This is no surrogate parent. The woman plans on becoming a mother and the ova (?) will be planted in her womb when she is ready. Thus, this does not go against the grain of the fatawa.

You live and learn. InshaAllah, the procedure will work.

 

[Precious Star]

Assalaam walaikum,

Let me understand this, please. This is no surrogate parent. The woman plans on becoming a mother and the ova (?) will be planted in her womb when she is ready. Thus, this does not go against the grain of the fatawa.

You live and learn. InshaAllah, the procedure will work.

The ova (eggs) are thawed and fertilized in a lab, then any resulting embryos are transplanted in her womb.

Fertilization and embryo transfer can take place any time, even after she reaches menopause.

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

Well I must say that pregnancy beats menopause anytime. I would suggest that the women who are thinking of this must pay attention to diet and nutrition and exercise.

What does the literature suggest about bone density; there is a shift in hormones..what is done to compensate for the shift in hormones?

Sorry, I am intrigued.

 

[Precious Star]

Assalaam walaikum,

Well I must say that pregnancy beats menopause anytime. I would suggest that the women who are thinking of this must pay attention to diet and nutrition and exercise.

What does the literature suggest about bone density; there is a shift in hormones..what is done to compensate for the shift in hormones?

Sorry, I am intrigued.

I don't understand the question. Is there a loss of bone density due to the shift in hormones caused by IVF?
(Keep in mind that the hormonal injections are only over a 10 day period).

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

Please forgive me for my poor wording. Let me try it again.

When a woman enters the period defined as menopause her body undergoes radical changes. One common side-effect is the loss of bone density. There are changes in hormones. My question (s) is what does the literature yield as to how does the medical word compensate for a woman who becomes pregnant after menopause. What procedures are in place that give her the perfect balance which would be conducive for the growth and development of the fetus without depleting her of the critical hormones she needs. Does this make more sense? What is in place to make the pregnancy as safe as it would be for a per-menopausal woman.

Once again, this is just to satisfy intellectual curiosity.

 

[Precious Star]

Assalaam walaikum,

Please forgive me for my poor wording. Let me try it again.

When a woman enters the period defined as menopause her body undergoes radical changes. One common side-effect is the loss of bone density. There are changes in hormones. My question (s) is what does the literature yield as to how does the medical word compensate for a woman who becomes pregnant after menopause. What procedures are in place that give her the perfect balance which would be conducive for the growth and development of the fetus without depleting her of the critical hormones she needs. Does this make more sense? What is in place to make the pregnancy as safe as it would be for a per-menopausal woman.

Once again, this is just to satisfy intellectual curiosity.

Hmm. It is an interesting question. During pregnancy, estrogen levels go down to menopausal levels, so a menopausal woman would not necessarily be experiencing a deficiency. Anyway, I thought you were referring to the side effects of the procedure itself, rather than the timing of the pregnancy.

Personally, I wouldn't choose to get pregnant after entering menopause. I know there are women out there who have done it, and have had successful pregnancies and healthy babies, but I would take my chances to about age 45 then donate the eggs to research.

BTW, the best way to insulate against loss of bone density is by ensuring you get sufficient nutrients BEFORE menopause, and in particular during your childbearing years. During menopause you might be able to slow the process down with calcium tablets and medication (such as Actonel), but the best way to preserve bone density is during your pre-menopausal years.

 

[ShyHijabi]

:salam2:

Right, while the protocol may be the same for egg production the viability is very different. For some reason the eggs don't fare as well as the fertilized egg. The technology for egg freezing is still fairly new in the reproductive endocrinology world. Due to the exorbitant costs it's just not that common for women to "save" their eggs in the off chance that they will be older by the time they marry. Also, there is actually a risk of premature menopause when undergoing the hormone therapy to produce the numerous eggs before retrieval, so I would be surprised to see women doing this if they are fertile and not undergoing chemmo. This technique is still mostly used by women who are about to undergo chemotherapy. I wasn't stating that this was the ONLY demographic that preserves eggs but rather the majority at this point.

BTW, I live in the US not KSA but was explaining that it is halaal given that one of the most successful clinics is located in KSA.

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

Sister Shyhijabi..if a woman chooses to become pregnant after menopause will that require extensive hormonal therapy as well? Pardon me for sounding stupid but if you are pre-menopausal you can do it the old fashioned way?

 

[ShyHijabi]

Assalaam walaikum,

Sister Shyhijabi..if a woman chooses to become pregnant after menopause will that require extensive hormonal therapy as well? Pardon me for sounding stupid but if you are pre-menopausal you can do it the old fashioned way?

:salam2:

IVF and egg harvesting both require massive amounts of hormone therapy to harvest the eggs. However if the woman has frozen embryos or eggs and wants them implanted after menopause then she will have to go through a lot of hormone therapy to trick her system into thinking it is still fertile. She must build uterine lining in order for the embryo to take root.

A woman may have infertility issues even if she is pre-menopausal. As a matter of fact the largest percentage of women undergoing IVF are pre-menopausal. There are usually some underlying issue such as PCOS, blocked fallopian tubes and even unknown reasons for infertility.

 

[Precious Star]

Assalaam walaikum,

Sister Shyhijabi..if a woman chooses to become pregnant after menopause will that require extensive hormonal therapy as well? Pardon me for sounding stupid but if you are pre-menopausal you can do it the old fashioned way?

The problem, Aapa, is that pre-menopausal does not mean that the woman continues to ovulate. A 45-yr old woman, for example, may be "pre-menopausal" in that she continues to get her period, but she has already undergone ovarian decline. Fertility plummets sharply after age 40, but that doesn't mean that you wll enter menopause at that stage.

Bottom line, the old-fashioned way has a very poor chance of success if you are over 40 and are running out of eggs, or no chance of success if you have run out of eggs. Yes you hear of the occasional miracle of women in their mid-40s getting pregnant, but for every success story there are thousands of disappointments.