Egg freezing
Egg freezing refers to the process of preserving a woman’s eggs (oocytes) for future use. It is also called oocyte cryopreservation. In this process, a woman’s eggs are extracted, frozen and stored to preserve reproduction potential in women of reproductive age. Egg freezing is most effective for women in their 20s to early 30s, and it is rarely indicated for women above the age of 38.
Who should consider egg freezing?
Egg freezing is advised in women who
- Undergo treatment that would affect their fertility, such as radiation or chemotherapy
- Experience surgery that might damage the ovaries
- Have a condition or circumstances that can affect fertility, such as sickle cell anemia, autoimmune diseases, etc.
- Go through IVF
- Wish to preserve eggs (for social or personal reasons) for getting pregnant at a later stage when ready
What are the steps of egg freezing?
The egg freezing procedure includes ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and freezing.
- Ovarian stimulation: It is the first step to produce multiple eggs. Ovaries are stimulated with hormones to produce multiple eggs. Total 10-14 days of hormone injections to stimulate
- the ovaries to produce multiple eggs
- These eggs are then extracted from the woman’s body by a vaginal procedure called egg retrieval or ovum pick up.
- Finally, the retrieved unfertilized eggs are frozen by a process called vitrification. This method helps in the long-term preservation of the eggs for future use.
