Things to Consider Before Freezing Your Eggs

November 18, 2022

Things to Consider Before Freezing Your Eggs

Egg freezing is a technique used to preserve women’s future fertility. Unfertilized eggs taken from your ovaries are frozen and kept to be used later in the future. It is possible to thaw a frozen egg, combine it with sperm in a lab, and transfer the embryo in your uterus (in vitro fertilization). 

How does egg freezing work?

Egg freezing is the act of extracting your eggs and freezing them so you can attempt pregnancy in the future through in vitro fertilization (IVF). If you’ve decided on egg freezing, you go through some of the same preliminary stages as those who undergo an IVF treatment:

  • Step one: To increase egg production, fertility medications will be given to you. Your ovaries produce multiple eggs at once rather than just one when the hormones are injected. It’s known as ovarian stimulation.
  • Step two: Your eggs will be removed from the ovaries after they are sufficiently matured. The treatment is typically conducted painlessly while you are sedated. This is a day-care procedure and requires hospitalization for  a short time.
  • Step three: When the eggs are retrieved, they are frozen until you are ready to try to conceive in the future.
  • Step four: The eggs are thawed and combined with sperm when you’re ready to try for pregnancy. Any developing embryos are then transferred to the uterus for implantation.

Why is it done?

Egg freezing can be done if you’re not ready to get pregnant right now but want to make sure you can get pregnant in the future. You can consider freezing your eggs if:

  • You have a disease or situation that can impair your fertility.
  • You require medical attention for cancer or another condition that might impair your ability to conceive.
  • You want to preserve your younger eggs now for future use.

How many eggs are frozen?

The total number of eggs that are frozen will vary depending on the individual and the quantity of viable eggs produced during ovarian stimulation.

What should you consider before egg freezing?

Here are a few key points to consider before freezing your eggs: 

  • It’s better to freeze your eggs when you’re young: Your ovarian reserve of eggs will be higher and healthier when you are young. As a result, you’ll have a better probability of getting pregnant. You can learn about your ovarian reserve and whether or not you should choose egg freezing from your doctor by taking a fertility hormone test. It is advised against egg freezing for women over the age of 38.
  • There may be some side effects: Although the surgical method for freezing eggs is generally painless, it could result in slight discomfort. Due to the ovaries growing to make room for numerous increasing follicles with a maturing egg in each, the hormone injections may result in bloating and moodiness. Occasionally, in very few cases the hormone levels may get too high and it can result in ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS). The signs and symptoms include vomiting, nausea, and weight gain.
  • There’s no guarantee of successful pregnancy: According to some research, there is only a 2–12% probability that a single frozen egg would result in a live birth. There haven’t been many studies done on this, though. The quality of the male partner’s sperm, the thawing process, and the viability of the eggs all have a role in whether or not a pregnancy using frozen eggs will be successful.
  • You may need more than one procedure: According to study, you need to freeze several eggs, say about 15, to have a decent chance of becoming pregnant in the future. But whether a woman produces enough eggs in a single cycle depends on her ovarian reserve, her age at the time, and how her body reacts to stimulation. 

Takeaway

Making decisions concerning your fertility can easily leave you feeling stressed. We can assist you in taking immediate action so that you can determine whether or not egg freezing is something you would want to think about. If you choose to store your eggs and use them later, for instance, knowing your current AMH levels, which represent your ovarian reserve, can help you predict the effectiveness of IVF as well as ovarian stimulation, the process by which you take hormone therapy to produce eggs.

If you are someone who wants to freeze your eggs or still have questions about egg freezing, call us at +91 9910120674/+91-11-45890000. We’re here to help you.