It’s important to do your research before going through the egg freezing process. However, the amount of information available out there can be overwhelming. Don’t worry! The Coastal Fertility Medical Clinic in Orange County is here to help you with the right information about egg freezing. In this article, we will look at 4 important things, you need to know about this potentially life-changing procedure of egg freezing.
There’ s no ideal age at which you should freeze your eggs, although there are better ages.
According to the American Society for Reproduction Medicine (ASRM), the best time for a woman to freeze her eggs is in her twenties and early thirties. This is the time when she is more likely to have a lot of eggs in her ovaries. We know that female eggs are more viable and healthier at a younger age. Having your fertility hormones checked can let you know a lot about the state of your ovarian pool. As a result, it can help you decide, with your doctor’s help, if you should consider freezing your eggs. Below are the 4 important things that our fertility specialists from Coastal Fertility clinic (Orange County) would suggest to know before going through the egg freezing process.
1. Freezing Your Eggs is not a quick medical procedure.
A lot goes into the freezing of eggs before it gets to the stage where your eggs are actually frozen. Firstly, your blood sample will go for examining your ovarian reserve and check for infectious diseases. You may also undergo an ultrasound exam to know what’s up with your ovarian function. After this, you will take some artificial hormones. This is to stimulate your ovaries to develop a large number of follicles. Follicles are the fluid-filled sacs that house and protect the eggs. You will also take certain medications to stop you from ovulating before the egg retrieval process.
Egg Maturation & Retrieval
Once an ultrasound shows that your eggs are ready for the retrieval process, you are going to take an injection of hCG. The hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) encourages your eggs to mature. The actual retrieval takes place in the doctor’s office through a transvaginal ultrasound aspiration. You may receive an anesthetic for this procedure. The doctor inserts an ultrasound probe into your vagina to locate the developed follicles. After this, a long, hollow needle is inserted via the vaginal canal into the ovaries. Then, the suction procedure is gently applied to take out the eggs one after the other.
Egg Freezing Method
You can have two or more eggs removed at a time. It is even advisable because it raises the chance of getting a viable egg that can be fertilized with sperm. After the eggs are harvested, they are cooled through a process known as vitrification. In this technique, the eggs are frozen in liquid nitrogen (LN2). Compared to the older technology used for freezing eggs (slow freezing), vitrification by liquid nitrogen significantly increases the rate of survival of the eggs. According to a 2009 study, eggs frozen slowly had a survival rate of 61%. Whereas eggs frozen via vitrification had a survival rate of 91%.
2. There can be side effects
You will probably be able to go back to your normal activities within a week after the egg retrieval process. However, it’s important to note that our bodies are not the same (jot this down and place it where you can easily see it). You may experience some pain and cramping resulting from the process of egg retrieval. Mood swings are also possible, caused by all those fertility hormones. This is completely normal and will go away with time. Do not make any big decisions immediately after performing the egg retrieval process. You also have a higher chance of getting pregnant during this period because there might be some eggs hanging around that are not removed. So, avoid unprotected sex at this time.
Look out for symptoms such as bloating and weight gain that can be signs of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). It is your body’s reaction to the fertility medications used to promote ovulation. Your chances of having ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome are much lower than it used to be. It’s because, the risk factors (for example, polycystic ovary syndrome) have been recognized. The checking of the AMH levels before the process of ovarian stimulation and the personalization of the hormone protocol when getting ready for egg retrieval also help reduce the risk.
Generally, researchers and fertility clinics need more data to know the effects of the egg freezing procedure in the long term. Hormone replacement is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. The large number of hormones used to stimulate young donors’ ovaries might raise the risk of developing breast cancer. However, the truth is, right now, scientists aren’t sure whether or not egg freezing can increase cancer risk. Overall, egg freezing is being recognized as a very safe procedure, though.
3. Egg Freezing can be a great option if you are dealing with certain medical issues
You may want to consider freezing your eggs if you need to undergo a surgery that can damage your ovaries. You may also want to have your eggs frozen if you have been diagnosed with cancer that requires radiation therapy (which might impact fertility) or are suffering from a medical condition that might damage the ovaries. There are other reasons you should talk to the doctors of our fertility clinic in Orange County to know if you should go for egg freezing.ย These include:
- If you have a history of early menopause in your family
- If you are suffering from Turner’s syndrome (a chromosomal disorder that comes with a risk of premature ovarian failure)
- have a genetic mutation (like BRCA, which puts you at a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer) resulting in the decision to remove your ovaries
4. It’s costly (and navigating insurance can be challenging)
If you are thinking of freezing eggs, it’s good to be aware of the costs of the procedure. Also, consider what may be or may not be covered by your insurance. On average, an egg freezing cycle costs between $15000-$20000. And remember to consider the cost of storing eggs, which can be up to $1200 per year, based on which storage facility you choose (the first year of storage is usually free!). If you decide to take out the eggs and use them, the costs of IVF (in vitro fertilization) vary from clinic to clinic. However, the total costs are between $20000- $60000. To help lessen the financial burden, a lot of fertility clinics provide loans and other financing options. Many also offer shared risk options and packages for Intended Parents.
Coverage for fertility treatment processes such as egg freezing also varies, depending on your type of insurance. Sixteen US states require that insurance companies include infertility coverage in their packages. However, that does not mean that coverage is completely free. You will still be responsible for co-payments if you are using private insurance. Besides, you need to be eligible for coverage an that could mean meeting certain criteria for infertility. For example, the inability to become pregnant after a year of timed, unprotected sex, or inability to carry a pregnancy to full-term or being above 35 years (or six months off it). If you reside in any of these states, you need to carefully go through the details because there are nuances in every insurance policy.
Should you Freeze Your Eggs or Embryos?
Let’s first give you some quick reminders. Eggs are unfertilized, whereas embryos are eggs that have already been fertilized with sperm. The egg freezing process offers you more options since you don’t need to know who will fertilize those eggs. Thus you can take your time to look for that person. On the other hand, embryo freezing is helpful if you have a donor or a cisgender male partner and want to conceive with that person through IVF.
You may also end up having more embryos than you need to use and may be thinking of what to do with the rest. Donate or discard? Or should you have them frozen? What would you do with the embryos if you break up with the person whose sperm was utilized? The same issues apply, whether you are dealing with eggs or embryos. How many of them will survive the freezing process and how many will lead to a successful pregnancy. So, in the end, the answer regarding what to do depends on you, your partner (if you have one), and your fertility doctor.
Conclusion
Although the egg freezing process is not a 100% successful procedure, it does significantly increase the chances of fertilization. Egg freezing could be the answer many women need who are not ready to start a family just yet.
If you too are thinking about egg freezing, but want to speak to a fertility specialist first, you can schedule an appointment with us. You learn more about the egg freezing process, cost, risks, and success rate by speaking to our fertility specialists at Coastal Fertility clinic, Orange County.ย
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