Egg Freezing Questions

There are three main steps involved in the egg freezing process. First, you will need a fertility assessment involving blood tests and an ultrasound where your doctor can determine your current fertility status. Next, you’ll inject medications to stimulate your ovaries to grow as many eggs as possible. And the final step in the egg freezing process is the egg retrieval, where we will collect and freeze your eggs.

The more the better. But there is no hard and fast number or rule on how many eggs a woman needs to freeze. This number is usually based on your age, your past gynecological/medical history and your family history. It is individualized and should be determined by your doctor based on your situation.

Some women experience bloating and discomfort during ovarian stimulation (similar to PMS symptoms). The egg retrieval process is done under light sedation and is not painful. After the retrieval, you may experience some mild pain that you can treat with over-the -counter pain relievers.

In rare instances (1-5%), “ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome” (OHSS) may occur during ovarian stimulation. OHSS is associated with swollen, enlarged ovaries and the collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity. After the egg retrieval, you might experience spotting, cramping and nausea for a few days.

In rare instances (1-5%), “ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome” (OHSS) may occur during ovarian stimulation. OHSS is associated with swollen, enlarged ovaries and the collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity. After the egg retrieval, you might experience spotting, cramping and nausea for a few days.

Since birth control pills or patches prevent ovulation, you will need to stop using it before starting the egg freezing process. You can resume using the pill or the patch after your egg retrieval. If you have an IUD, you don’t have to remove it during the egg freezing process.For women that have been using the pill or the patch for a long period of time, we often recommend a month “rest” period (aka stopping birth control for a month). The pill makes your ovaries go to sleep, effectively. So in an effort to maximize your response to fertility medications, we give them an extra month (a month off the pill) to wake up. If you don’t have the time or don’t want to take the month off it isn’t bad or wrong, it just may ultimately make the egg freezing cycle longer (extra days of meds to get those ovaries going!

We recommend considering egg freezing in your late 20s to mid-30s, when egg quantity and quality are typically higher. There is no time like the present; your eggs are better at 30 than at 32, so if you are thinking about doing it, do it now. There is no “cut off” age but there is an age (generally >42) whereby your ability to produce eggs that are chromosomally normal is significantly reduced and it may not yield the results you are hoping for.

There is no expiration date on your eggs! BabiesSprouts has had patients freeze their eggs and return to us 10 years later to have a baby.

Unfortunately, we cannot. The only information we can tell you about your eggs is if they are mature or immature. A mature egg does not mean it is good quality, but it means that it is at the stage that it can be fertilized (only mature eggs can be fertilized). While there are certain parameters that point to good egg quality (young age) we cannot tell anything about the health of an egg until it is fertilized by a sperm.

While it’s always good to live a healthy life, your eggs have been there with you for your entire life. Making alterations in your lifestyle will likely not change your egg quality. The only exception here is smoking—smoking is not good for your eggs! The sooner you quit the better.

Yes! And that’s why it is important to not only share your medical/surgical/gynecological history, but also your mom’s, your sisters and your grandmother’s. We tend to mimic the female members of our family in terms of fertility. So if your mom went through an early menopause you might as well. Also if you have a history of any gynecological conditions (such as endometriosis or PCOS), you want to speak to a fertility doctor early!

If you don’t use them you lose them. Meaning, every month a group of eggs enter the race to become the one that is ovulated. The other eggs that “run the race,” but don’t win just die off. In short, egg freezing does not hurt your future fertility.

Nothing can tell you if you are fertile or infertile other than your ability to get pregnant. People mistake a normal or an abnormal AMH as being fertile or infertile but that is NOT TRUE. AMH and an antral follicle count (AFC) tells you is about your follicle count (quantity). However nothing (other than your age and your ability to get pregnant) tells us about your quality.

Your Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) levels can help determine your ovarian reserve (how many eggs you have left). Typical AMH levels for a fertile woman is ~ 1.5–4.0 ng/ml. If your AMH is low, this could indicate low ovarian reserve. However, it does not mean that your quality is low!

The most effective way to freeze eggs is through a method called vitrification when the eggs are quickly frozen using nitrogen. This fast-freezing method prevents the fluid in the egg from forming ice crystals, which could damage it. The other method of egg freezing is called slow-freezing or controlled freezing, which freezes the eggs much more slowly, is prone to ice crystals and has lower rates of survival. Currently, almost all major clinics perform vitrification.

Generally, egg freezing is considered an elective procedure and is not covered by standard insurance plans.

Once the eggs are frozen, they can be shipped.