Why would I have Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing, sometimes referred to as Oocyte Cryopreservation, is a technique to preserve a woman’s fertility so she can have biological children in the future. The procedure involves collecting the woman’s eggs to freeze, and thawing them in the future when the woman is ready to get pregnant. Some patients undergo this procedure because they are taking treatment that can impact their fertility negatively or they have a health problem that can affect their fertility. The procedure can also be used by women who are not ready or able to have children yet but want the chance of conceiving in the future. If you are undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), you will have to undergo egg freezing.
What are the benefits of having Egg Freezing?
- Pauses a woman’s biological clock and helps protect her ability to have biological children later in life
- Helps preserves egg quality
- Allows women to focus on their early adult years without having to worry about their biological clock
- Women can conceive after certain medical treatments and health problems that can affect their fertility.
What is the recovery time?
You should be able to go back to your normal routine, including exercise and work within one week following your egg retrieval.
How long will I need to stay in the hospital after my procedure?
Normally, you are allowed to leave the hospital immediately after your egg freezing procedure. The procedure itself only takes around 20 minutes to finish.
How long should I expect to stay overseas after my procedure?
The whole process of egg freezing usually takes around 10 to 14 days. Keep in mind that the procedure involves a couple of appointments to complete. However, since you are allowed to go home straight after each appointment, you can choose to stay overseas the whole time or make two separate trips.
What aftercare should I take into consideration?
No long term aftercare is required following an egg freezing procedure. Still, you should not have unprotected sex as it can result in unintended pregnancy.
What’s the success rate like?
Egg freezing is a generally safe procedure with a great success rate. You can expect to freeze your eggs for up to 10 years. Once you are ready to use the eggs, they will be thawed, then fertilized in a lab, and implanted into your uterus or a gestational carrier’s uterus. Your chances of becoming pregnant after the egg implantation depends on your age at the egg freezing time. In general, the chances are around 30% to 60%.
Are there alternatives?
One alternative to egg freezing is a procedure called ovarian tissue banking, which involves taking the outer layer of the ovary and freezing it for future use. Another alternative to consider is embryo freezing, which is usually done after IVF treatment. This procedure freezes good embryos for future use.