Egg Freezing

– Hormones are given by injection to stimulate growth of follicles containing eggs in the ovaries.
– The eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and are then frozen unfertilised.
– Later on, a frozen egg is thawed and combined with sperm in the laboratory using a technology called In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
– The resulting embryo is placed in the womb.

Eggs freezing (oocyte cryopresevation) can be undertake for social or medical reasons.
A woman can make a decision to to electively freeze her eggs if she is not ready to have a baby. That could be for reasons such as not finding a partner or career commitments. The ability to have a baby is commensurate with a woman’s age, and the age of the eggs at the time of freezing. The younger a woman is at the time eggs are frozen, the greater the chance of pregnancy later on.

Other reasons for a woman to consider freezing her eggs include preservation before cancer treatment or a condition where the eggs may be depleted earlier than expected eg Turner’s syndrome.

Egg freezing is not the guarantee of a baby, however the more eggs that are frozen the greater chance if this. A discussion with a fertility specialist will help you to decide if this is the correct treatment for you.