Egg Freezing: Preserving Your Fertility

Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a modern fertility preservation technique where a woman’s eggs are collected, frozen, and stored for future use. This method allows women to secure their reproductive options and plan for parenthood when they are ready.

Why Consider Egg Freezing?

Women are born with a finite number of eggs, and as they age, both the quantity and quality of their eggs decline. The most significant drop in fertility occurs after the age of 35, making it advisable to freeze eggs before this age to maximize future chances of conception.

Egg Freezing Process

1. Ovarian Stimulation

• The patient receives hormonal injections to stimulate the ovaries, encouraging the production of multiple eggsinstead of the usual one per cycle.
• Injections begin on Day 2 of the menstrual cycle, with ultrasound monitoring throughout the process.

2. Egg Retrieval

• The eggs are retrieved through a minor surgical procedure performed under mild sedation.
• This takes about 15 minutes and involves a thin needle guided through the vaginal wall to collect the eggs.
• The procedure is painless, and the patient can return home within an hour.

3. Cryopreservation

• The retrieved eggs are frozen using a rapid freezing method (vitrification), which prevents ice crystal formationand preserves their integrity.
• They are stored in liquid nitrogen at ultra-low temperatures.

4. Long-Term Storage

• Frozen eggs can be stored for several years, maintaining their quality regardless of the woman’s age at retrieval.

5. Future Use

• When ready, the eggs are thawed, fertilized through IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), and transferred into the uterus.
• The success of pregnancy depends on the age at which the eggs were frozen, rather than the age at which they are used.

How Many Eggs Should Be Frozen?

The ideal number of eggs to freeze varies for each woman and depends on:
✔ Age – Younger women tend to have better quality and more viable eggs.
✔ Health – Factors affecting ovarian reserve.
✔ Family planning goals – Whether one or more children are desired.
✔ Ovarian response – How well the body responds to ovarian stimulation.

• A single cycle may be enough for some women, while others may require multiple cycles for better chances of pregnancy.
• Not all collected eggs are mature or viable for freezing, so more eggs may be needed than will ultimately be used.

Who Should Consider Egg Freezing?

✔ Women who want to delay childbearing for personal or professional reasons.
✔ Women with medical conditions that may impact fertility (endometriosis, cancer treatments, autoimmune diseases).
✔ Those who want to preserve fertility before surgery that may affect ovarian function.
✔ Women undergoing gender-affirming treatments.

Egg freezing is a valuable option for those who are not ready to start a family but wish to keep their options open for the future. Consulting a fertility specialist can help determine the best course of action based on individual circumstances.