What is gamete self-preservation?

Self-preservation consists in freezing and storing one's own gametes (oocytes or spermatozoa), so as to have them available if, at a later date, a child should require MPA. It is possible for women from the age of 29 up to their 37th birthday, and for men from the age of 29 up to their 45th birthday. As age increases, the chances of procreation decrease and the health risks for children increase. This physiological phenomenon is earlier and more marked in women. Gamete self-preservation is not a medical indication, but a matter of personal choice.

Sperm are collected by masturbation. Oocytes are collected by puncture, under anaesthetic, after a course of daily injections lasting around ten days. The gametes are packaged in straws, frozen and then stored in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C.

The chances of obtaining a birth using stored oocytes depend on age (younger) and the number of stored oocytes (higher).

Once you have decided to have your gametes preserved, you will be required to pay an annual preservation fee (around forty euros). The costs of gamete storage may not be paid or compensated for, directly or indirectly, by your employer or by any natural person or any person with whom the person concerned is economically dependent.

Each year, persons who have undergone self-preservation must indicate whether they wish to :

• keep them
• use them with a view to MAP
• donate them to people awaiting gamete donation
• donate them to scientific research
• end their conservation.