Preserving Fertility with Egg Freezing
A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, and both the quantity and quality of these eggs decline with age. By the age of 35, a woman’s fertility starts to significantly decrease.
Egg freezing is the process of extracting, freezing and storing a woman’s eggs so that they may be used to conceive a child at a later date. There are no absolute guarantees but egg freezing does give a woman the opportunity to try for a baby in the future.
Many women are choosing to start families later in life. However, the likelihood of conceiving naturally decreases as we age, with a notable decline beginning around age 35. Here's a quick look at the chances of falling pregnant naturally each month:
- Early to Mid-Twenties: 25% chance each month
- Age 30: 20% chance each month
- Age 40: Around 5% chance each month
Where a woman decides to freeze her eggs for non-medical reasons, we advise that she be under the age of 35 at the time of egg freezing.
What Are the Steps Involved in Egg Freezing?
- Hormonal Stimulation: Under the care of a consultant gynaecologist, the woman is given fertility medications to stimulate her ovaries to produce many follicles. The process begins with 10-12 days of self-administered hormonal injections to stimulate the ovaries. The number and size of the developing follicles is measured by trans-vaginal ultrasound scans. The exact number of follicles which develop varies between patients, but the average is about 10.The final preparation for egg retrieval involves a hormone injection which mimics the natural trigger for ovulation. Egg retrieval will take place 36-38 hours after this injection.
- Egg Retrieval: Egg retrieval is a minor theatre procedure which is carried out on an outpatient basis. It is 30-minute procedure, performed under conscious sedation, collects the mature eggs.
- Freezing and Storage: The eggs are frozen in the laboratory using a method known as vitrification. The collected eggs are then frozen and stored, ready for future use.
Although it is not an ‘insurance policy’, it certainly is an additional support for women and provides peace of mind, knowing that their eggs can be stored for many years and provide them with the option to try in the future.
How Can I Start the Egg Freezing Process?
If you are considering egg freezing, our fertility specialists at Sims IVF are here to help. We offer consultations to advise you on your options and guide you through every step of the process. Taking control of your reproductive future starts with a simple conversation—schedule a consultation with us today to explore how egg freezing can fit into your plans.
