Actress says she got pregnant naturally at age 55 after trying in vitro fertilization with frozen eggs
Earlier last week, the actress and dancer Claudia Rai announced a pregnancy at the age of 55. In 2020 she revealed that she had frozen some of her eggs and wanted to go back to being her mother. In Claudia’s case, the spontaneous pregnancy over the age of 50 is considered by specialists to be a very rare event; the odds are one in a thousand women. “Sure it’s rare, but it exists,” said the actress this Sunday, 25, in an interview for the program Fantasticby Rede Globo.
She and her husband, also actor and dancer Jarbas Homem de Mello, once tried the fertilization procedure. in vitro, but the resulting embryos, formed from frozen eggs when he was 48, did not form properly. Claudia, who was already in menopause, decided that she would only try it once, but a few months later her surprise came: she ovulated and became pregnant spontaneously.
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Although it was not successful in the case of the actress, fertilization in vitro it represents the opportunity of motherhood for many women who have had their fertility compromised by some factor. “There are many cases of women over 50 who manage to get pregnant,” Claudia said during the interview.
For Fernando Prado, gynecologist and member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), it is the answer to a very current dilemma: “It’s an opportunity for them not to worry about that choice between a professional career and starting a family. . It can have both, because it preserves fertility for the most opportune moment, “he summarizes.
He reports that since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemicdemand for these procedures increased by 30% in her study: “It was a time of great uncertainty about the future and many people didn’t want to get pregnant without knowing how long it would last. Egg freezing ended up bringing an answer to this.”
According to data from a report by the National Embryo Production System (SisEmbrio), produced by the National Health Surveillance Agency (anvisa), the number of frozen embryos went from 88,503 in 2020 to 114,372 the following year. Growth also in in vitro fertilization cycles carried out in Brazil, from 34,623 to 45,952, with an increase of 32.7%.
Also according to the report, the southeast region has the largest number of frozen embryos, while the state of São Paulo has the largest number of assisted human reproduction centers (CRHAs) in the country.
For egg freezing and in vitro fertilization processes, costs can range from R $ 15,000 to R $ 25,000, depending on the clinic where they are performed.
The amount consists of three stages: the initial hormone treatment, the laboratory costs which include anesthesia, egg collection, freezing and fertilization and finally the cost of medical expenses. To keep the cells frozen, the annuity paid varies from R $ 1,000 to R $ 1,500 and, therefore, studies indicate that the best age to start treatment is around 34, considering the cost-benefit ratio.
In most cases, egg freezing and in vitro fertilization are not covered by health insurance or health insurance Single health system (SUS). But there are some public hospitals that receive the transfers and perform the procedures. This is the case of Hospital Pérola Byington and Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (HCFMUSP).
Freezing eggs step by step
The process exploits a biological fact that is repeated monthly; for every egg that develops and is released at the time of ovulation, many more end up being stunted. The treatment then consists of cultivating some of these others as well, so that they can be harvested and frozen.
For this, the patient receives daily subcutaneous injections of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) for a period of about ten days, while the size of the follicles is monitored by transvaginal ultrasound examinations.
When the size of the sacs indicates that the eggs are mature, the collection procedure is scheduled for 36 hours later, and takes place through a minor surgery with sedation that lasts about half an hour. A total of ten to twenty female gametes are aspirated from the ovaries.
From there, they are under the care of the embryology team, which separates the cells into groups of up to five and freezes them with a technique called vitrification, which is faster than traditional freezing and does not form crystals, which can damage eggs. .
“This process helps them have higher survival rates in the future when they are used,” explains Prado. Subsequently, they are placed in a liquid nitrogen tank until the chosen moment for implantation arrives.
In vitro fertilization
When the patient decides to get pregnant, she begins a process of preparing the endometrium (the mucous membrane that lines the inside of the uterus) with hormones in pills. With the thickening of the endometrium, the eggs are thawed and fertilized in the laboratory.
For five days, embryologists monitor the growth of the embryos and when they are in the stage called blastocyst, a hollow sphere of embryonic cells filled with fluid, they are selected and implanted in the uterus with a simple procedure that resembles a Pap smear. .
The hormones continue to be used for a period of three months to reduce the chances of miscarriage. In ten days, a pregnancy test is performed to verify that the implant has been successful. Embryos that have not been implanted can be refrozen for a possible future attempt.
The sperm used for fertilization can come from a partner or from a sperm bank. In addition, it is also possible to carry out in vitro fertilization with the eggs of a donor. This is a good option for women over 45, as from that age onwards, the chances of getting pregnant with their own egg are around 1%. In this case, the increase in the value of in vitro fertilization can reach 30%.
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Source: Terra
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
