Egg Freezing

WHAT IS EGG FREEZING?

Egg freezing (cryopreservation) is a technology used to extract, freeze and store eggs from a woman’s body. Eggs can later be thawed, fertilized, and returned to the uterus as embryos. This method allows women to decide freely on the beginning of motherhood and egg preservation should medical reasons exist.

Woman’s fertility declines with her age. Chances for successful pregnancy in her forties are significantly higher if she freezes her eggs before 35. After the age of 36, embryo cryopreservation is recommended rather than eggs if the pregnancy needs to be postponed.

EGG CRYOPRESERVATION

The ability to get pregnant and give birth to a healthy child is related to a woman’s age and starts to decline after 30. Egg freezing is one of the possibilities used for preserving fertility and can be used in:

• Women who are exposed to the unhealthy environment at their workplace, which can affect their eggs (long flights, exposure to radiation, exposure to dangerous chemical substances such as paints, varnishes, tar),


• Top athletes (postponing motherhood until the end of professional career)


• Women who had ovarian cyst surgery or endometriosis resulting in partial or complete ovary removal


• Women who had disease or disorder treatment that can have a negative effect on the ovaries (autoimmune diseases)


• Women with genetic or autoimmune predispositions (Turner syndrome, systemic lupus eritematodes, Addison’s, galactosemia, diabetes mellitus, myasthenia gravis)


• Women with family predispositions for premature menopause)


• Women who are about to receive cancer treatment – chemotherapy, radiation or ovary removal. Fifty thousand cases of cancer in women of reproductive age are found in the US every year.

CONSULTATIONS

Before you start the process of egg freezing, you need to schedule a consultation with a fertility preservation specialist. During the first consultation, the doctor will provide you with detailed information on egg freezing and advise doing the necessary tests. Therefore, you should have all the documentation and necessary test results ready for your second consultation. In order to begin an egg freezing process, you should have the test results of your hormones, Pap smear, cervical swabs, blood type, and blood tests for contagious diseases.



In the next step, your doctor will do an ultrasound and gynecological examination. Finally, you will have to sign the informed consents for treatments and medical interventions if you decide to go through with the procedure.

OVARIAN STIMULATION

Most often, you will be given ovarian stimulation. In one menstrual cycle, a woman produces one egg. In each cycle, a competition for domination between around ten follicles takes place. Only one follicle containing an egg can win and mature, and the others will arrest development. These follicles can be saved with ovarian stimulation, and several eggs can be retrieved during one cycle.

Ovarian stimulation is done using different stimulation protocols which are personalized to suit each patient. Details on ovulation stimulation can be found in our IVF booklet. Medication needs to be taken according to specific instructions. Follicle development will be monitored on ultrasound check-ups. When a patient reacts well to medication and satisfactory follicle development, we plan for follicle aspiration – egg retrieval.

FOLLICLE ASPIRATION (EGG RETRIEVAL)

On the day of follicle aspiration, you will arrive at the clinic at the agreed time. Aspiration (retrieval) is described in detail in our IVF booklet. As described, the procedure can be done with analgesia or short-term anesthesia. In both cases, you will be given medication that, in rare cases, may cause side effects.

EGG FREEZING – VITRIFICATION

Eggs (oocytes) are very sensitive, and their preservation demands a specific freezing technique (vitrification), which is done in our lab. Oocytes are stored at low temperatures in special containers with liquid nitrogen, which theoretically provides unlimited time for their preservation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Risks of ovarian stimulation and egg aspiration are described in our IVF booklet. Even though egg cryopreservation's final goal is thawing, fertilization, and embryo implantation, this cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, it is possible that eggs do not successfully thaw or fertilize in the future.