In recent years, egg freezing has gained significant attention as more women explore options for preserving their fertility. This advancement in reproductive technology offers women the opportunity to extend their reproductive years and align their family planning with personal and professional goals.
With so much information online, it can be hard to find credible information. We’ve answered 10 of the most frequently asked questions about egg freezing to help you on your journey.
1. What are the benefits of egg freezing?
Egg freezing offers a number of benefits to women who wish to wait to start their family or who are undergoing certain medical treatments.
Extended Fertility Window
One of the primary reasons women choose to freeze their eggs is to extend their fertility window. As women age, the quality and quantity of their eggs decline. Freezing eggs at a younger age preserves their quality, providing a better chance of successful conception later in life.
Career and Education
Many women opt to focus on their careers or education during their prime reproductive years. Egg freezing allows them to pursue their ambitions without the pressure of a ticking biological clock.
Medical Reasons
For women undergoing medical treatments such as chemotherapy, which can harm fertility, egg freezing offers a way to preserve their eggs before treatment.
Personal and Relationship Factors
Egg freezing provides flexibility for women who may not be ready to start a family due to personal or relationship circumstances. It allows them to wait for the right time and partner.
2. Who is egg freezing for?
Egg freezing can be a viable option for a variety of women, each with their unique circumstances and reasons for considering the procedure.
Women Focused on Career or Education: Many women in demanding professions or those pursuing advanced degrees might choose to delay childbearing to focus on their careers or education. Egg freezing allows them to preserve their fertility until they are ready to start a family.
Women Without a Partner: For women who have not yet found the right partner or are not in a stable relationship but wish to have biological children in the future, egg freezing provides a way to extend their fertility window.
Women Facing Medical Treatments: Women who are about to undergo treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation, which can affect fertility, often consider egg freezing to preserve their ability to have biological children after their recovery.
Other Medical Conditions: Women with conditions like endometriosis or autoimmune diseases that could impact ovarian reserve might opt to freeze their eggs for future use.
Genetic Concerns: Women with a family history of early menopause or other genetic conditions affecting fertility, might choose to freeze their eggs while they are still in their reproductive prime.
Women in High-Risk Occupations: Women in the military or other high-risk professions where they might face long deployments or hazardous conditions can freeze their eggs to ensure they have the option of having children later.
Women Seeking Reproductive Autonomy: Some women might choose egg freezing as a proactive step to take control of their reproductive future, regardless of immediate circumstances or pressures.
3. What is the ideal age for a woman to freeze her eggs?
Eggs are at their optimal quality and quantity during a woman’s 20s and early 30s, making this the ideal time for undergoing oocyte cryopreservation.
A woman is born with a finite number of eggs, which gradually decrease in both quantity and quality over time. This decline explains why a woman in her 40s has only a 5% chance of becoming pregnant each month and why the risk of aneuploidy (an abnormal number of chromosomes) in her eggs increases after age 45.
Despite the decline in egg quality, the uterus remains capable of carrying a child well into a woman’s 40s. Therefore, using healthy, frozen eggs can be an excellent solution for achieving pregnancy later in life.
4. What is the process to retrieve a woman’s eggs for freezing?
To prepare the eggs for retrieval, patients will undergo hormone treatments (through daily hormone injections for about two weeks) to promote egg maturation. During this time, she will have frequent office visits and be monitored for progress and safety.
Once the eggs have matured, they are removed with a thin needle through the vagina under ultrasound guidance. Egg retrievals are done under intravenous sedation and pain is minimal. The retrieved eggs are immediately frozen through a process called vitrification, before storing.
After the egg retrieval, patients can return home, and no other treatment is necessary until they are ready to use the frozen eggs.
5. How long does the egg freezing process take?
The total time from stimulation start to egg retrieval is typically between 12 and 16 days.
At IVFMD, prior to starting stimulation, you will meet with your physician to discuss your family goals and collaborate with them to plan treatment. During your initial appointment you will have a transvaginal ultrasound and discuss blood tests that will help assess your ovarian reserve and overall reproductive health. Over the next few weeks, your care team will ensure you are educated and confident by reviewing the process, financial information, and medication protocols. Once your test results are reviewed, clinical processes are completed, and medications are received, you will begin treatment!
6. Will I experience any symptoms after retrieving my eggs?
The retrieval process goes by quickly and you will feel normal very shortly afterwards. Take the day off, relax, and do not operate heavy machinery. It is common to feel bloated in the days immediately following your retrieval, but you should be back to normal within 3-5 days. It is recommended to drink plenty of fluids such as coconut water or low-sugar electrolyte water.
A menstrual period will occur approximately 2 weeks after the retrieval.
7. What are the chances of having a baby from frozen eggs?
The best data we have suggests that in women under 35, cryopreserving 20 eggs translates to ~70-80% chance of having one child from those eggs. This statistic, of course, varies between women based on age, egg reserve and other factors.
8. What is the difference between egg freezing and embryo freezing?
Egg freezing is the process of freezing unfertilized eggs for future use. When you are ready to become pregnant, the frozen eggs will be thawed and injected with sperm to create an embryo. This embryo will then be transferred to the uterus and attempt to achieve pregnancy.
Embryo freezing is the process of freezing fertilized eggs, called embryos. The eggs are combined with sperm through a process referred to as ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) prior to freezing. The resulting embryos are then stored for future use. When you are ready to become pregnant, the embryo is thawed and transferred to the uterus.
9. How long do frozen eggs last?
Eggs can remain frozen and viable for many years. Current research suggests there is no time limit for how long an egg can be cryopreserved. However, there are other considerations you should consider, such as eggs surviving the thawing process, being fertilized, implanting, and developing into a baby.
10. What do I do when I’m ready to get pregnant using my frozen eggs?
When you are ready to use your frozen eggs to attempt pregnancy, the eggs are thawed and injected with a single sperm to achieve fertilization. This is done through a process called ICSI. The fertilized eggs, now called embryos, are transferred into your uterus.
Conclusion
Egg freezing is a powerful tool that offers women more control over their reproductive futures. Whether for career, education, medical, or personal reasons, it provides an opportunity to align family planning with life goals.
IVFMD’s approach to egg freezing is simple, time-efficient, highly cost-competitive, and minimally disruptive. Our fertility specialists can provide personalized insights and help you plan for a future that algins with your goals. Schedule a consultation to discuss if egg freezing is right for you!
