Even a month after tiny Hayden Henzel’s birth, the simplest of things amaze his parents.
“He eats. He sleeps. He cries. He goes to the bathroom. He’s awesome,” said proud father Gregg Henzel, 40, as he cradled his son in his arms.
Hayden was the first Colorado baby born after being frozen as an egg and stored for a month in liquid nitrogen.
For five frustrating years, Gregg and Carolyn Henzel tried but couldn’t have a baby. Even though they met with a slew of fertility doctors and experts, no one could explain why the couple couldn’t get pregnant, she said.
One possible solution was in-vitro fertilization, but they could not afford the procedure.
Then they got a call from Dr. William Schoolcraft, who offered in-vitro fertilization without cost at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine.
“You don’t get this opportunity every day. It was a chance to have a baby,” Carolyn Henzel said today. “It was also exciting because it gave us a chance to participate in medical history.”
Carolyn Henzel was among 13 women with fertility problems invited to participate in an experimental procedure in which their eggs were frozen for one month before they were quickly thawed.
Weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces, Hayden was born Nov. 3. He was a healthy baby.
“He’s absolutely perfect,” Carolyn Henzel said. “He’s just the light of our lives.”
Although sperm and embryos have been frozen successfully for decades, freezing unfertilized eggs became possible only recently, Schoolcraft said.
It was difficult before because slow cooling leads to ice-crystal formation, which damages the eggs, he said.
Schoolcraft learned about the new process — called vitrification — when he visited scientists in Japan and Spain to learn about a new method, he said.
The egg is plunged into liquid nitrogen, which is negative 196 degrees Centigrade, he said.
The extremely rapid rate of cooling and warming protects the egg from ice-crystal formation. The survival rate with vitrification is more than 80 percent, approaching pregnancy rates seen with fresh eggs. So far, only about 600 pregnancies worldwide have been successful after freezing eggs, Schoolcraft said.
“In the past, virtually no patients froze their eggs. Now, we see patients weekly interested in this procedure,” Schoolcraft said.
Schoolcraft added that freezing eggs does not increase the risks of pregnancy.
Vitrification is a new solution for women who have cancer and are undergoing cancer treatments, Schoolcraft said.
“Infertility is a side effect of cancer treatments, so we are offering hope to women by preserving their fertility,” Schoolcraft said.
The procedure also is an option for women starting careers first and families later, he said. They can freeze eggs at a young age and store them until they are ready to start a family.
After women turn 35, their eggs decrease in quantity and quality, Schoolcraft said.
“So it is difficult for women at this age to get pregnant and have a healthy baby,” he said.
One of his patients didn’t find a mate until she was 43 and then wished to have a child.
Women can now freeze their eggs and store them until the right moment, he said.
“We’re just starting to get the word out to patients.”
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
