Egg freezing is a fertility technique that preserves your most viable eggs for use later in life.
During a short procedure called egg retrieval, mature eggs are removed and flash-frozen, meaning they’re very quickly put into a frozen state for safekeeping. The eggs remain frozen until you are ready to have them thawed, and try getting pregnant through an assisted reproductive technology (ART), commonly in vitro fertilization.
Your doctor retrieves your eggs using an ultrasound to guide a vaginal probe to your follicles, where your recently produced eggs will be. Then, using a needle attached to the probe, some fluid will circulate around the eggs and raise them up so the doctor can collect them.
Then another specialist sorts through the fluid to retrieve the eggs before quickly freezing them.
The journey begins with selecting and meeting with a fertility provider who will run tests to measure your fertility.
Cycle Prep
Once you decide to move forward, you go into cycle prep. This is very individualized and may involve taking the birth control pill for a time, depending on your body’s needs. You’ll learn how to properly administer hormone injections at home to stimulate your ovaries into producing multiple eggs in a cycle.
The doctor will want to be able to collect eight to 15 mature eggs for women in their 20s and 30s. Those over 35 will likely be advised that collecting around 30 eggs will improve the chances of achieving pregnancy in the years to come.
The ovary-stimulating hormone injections will go on between nine and 12 days. During that period, you’ll have a few appointments for ultrasounds and some bloodwork to gauge how well your ovaries are responding.
Egg retrieval is a relatively short procedure. You’ll only need some light anesthetic while the doctor collects your healthy eggs. Then you can expect to be on your way home in a couple of hours. Of course, you will need a ride, but the anesthesia should wear off quickly.
As soon as the doctor removes your eggs, a specialist called an embryologist will flash-freeze them for safekeeping.
Give yourself some time to rest and practice some self-care. Soon it will be time for your follow-up appointment when the doctor will tell you how the egg removal went and will give you an idea of your chances of success whenever you decide to try to become pregnant through ART.
The doctor may discuss any concerns about how many mature eggs they were able to retrieve. Then, you can talk about whether it would be wise to go through another cycle prep and retrieval to improve your chances of a successful pregnancy when you are older.
The egg retrieval procedure is pretty quick and straightforward. However, before beginning a prep cycle, you’ll want to be sure you can schedule multiple monitoring appointments without your efforts becoming a stressor.
It’s a hopeful and exciting phase in life, so give yourself the time to appreciate where you are now and the future you look forward to building. If you’re interested in learning more about the cost of egg freezing, contact us today.
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