Fertility Preservation
Egg Freezing
Oocyte cryopreservation is a process in which a woman's eggs (oocyte) are extracted, frozen and stored. Later, when she is ready to become pregnant, the eggs are thawed, fertilized and transferred to the uterus as embryos. In order to retrieve the eggs, the patient will need to take the same hormonal medication as patients having IVF treatment. The eggs are cryopreserved using a procedure called vitrification.The only difference is when the eggs are retrieved they are frozen and not fertilized.
There are many different factors that can lead women to seek fertility preservation or egg freezing, ranging from personal or lifestyle decisions to medical considerations or precautions. Regardless of your personal motivation to preserve fertility, our certified specialists are here to help you every step of the way, starting with your initial consultation and making sure you understand the options available to you.
Good candidates for egg freezing?
A woman or family might be interested in fertility preservation because of a medical condition that has led or will lead to reduced fertility or infertility, including:
- Cancer diagnosis and resulting recommended treatments (such as radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery)
- Diagnosis of other medical condition, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, which are often treated with medications that can damage or destroy ovarian function
- Recommendation of ovary removal due to conditions such as endometriosis, or other major reproductive surgery
- Genetics and/or a family history of early menopause
Individuals may seek egg freezing because of a lifestyle or social choice, such as:
- Couples who are not yet ready to start a family
- Women with professional obligations
- Single women
- Concerns about aging female fertility
- Religious or ethical beliefs regarding embryo freezing
The steps of egg freezing?
The procedures for both fertility preservation and egg freezing are identical and includes the following basic steps:
- A blood test will be conducted to check your hormone levels and ovarian reserve. This will determine if there are enough eggs to be retrieved.
- To stimulate egg production, you will begin a regimen of fertility drugs for approximately one to two weeks. During this period, you will be carefully monitored via blood tests and ultrasounds.
- When the time is right, you will be anesthetized, and your eggs will be collected using a needle guided by ultrasound. This usually only takes about thirty minutes.
- The recovered eggs are frozen immediately and can potentially be used for ten years or more.
While there are many carefully timed steps to the process, it is relatively simple overall. Your thorough understanding of the process is important to us, so we will go over the exact steps in detail during your consultation. As with every fertility treatment we offer, We follow national standards and employs the latest technologies and best practices to ensure optimal results and the highest success rates in fertility preservation and egg freezing.