Egg freezing

Preserving what's precious to you

---

Why freeze my eggs?

Life oftentimes does not play out as planned.
 
If you’re fast approaching mid 30's, single, facing cancer treatment or not in a position to conceive in the near future, this page is written with you in mind.
 
You may have been presented with confronting facts and data about your fertility at some point, causing anxiety that your reproductive years is slipping through your fingers. Understandably the emotional strain is unsettling when having a family is of importance to you; yet parenthood seems to be out of reach.
 
My Fertility Care strongly believes in equipping women to make well-informed choices with sound medical advice within a secure environment without prejudice. Together we strive to expand your available options to protect that which is finite and precious to you.

What do I need to know?

• Females are born with a finite number of eggs, about 2 million at birth. This is reduced to 400,000 at puberty and thereafter several hundred eggs diminishes on a monthly basis till they are completely exhausted.
• Over the last decade, the egg freezing technology has advanced significantly and has contributed to many livebirths worldwide.
• Egg freezing is best conducted before the age of 35 as the quality of your eggs declines as you get older.
• Egg freezing will reduce the chances of having the need for donor eggs, which is difficult to source and ultimately, is not genetically yours.
• Contrary to popular belief, IVF is seldom in favour of advance maternal age women. The chances of success are heavily dependent on your age which determines the quantity and quality of eggs at the time of collection. Sadly, many older women are likely to go through multiple cycles of IVF (and possible miscarriages) to achieve a pregnancy.
• Women over the age of 38 have a lower chance of live births because of the increase chances of chromosomal problems such as Down Syndrome and other abnormalities that lead to miscarriages.
• A fertilised frozen ('vitrified') egg and a fertilised 'fresh' egg will have similar chances of a livebirth. The determining factor is the women's age when the egg was collected.

Indications

​​1. 
Single Women

​Women without a partner who wish to preserve their fertility to have a biological family of their own in the future.

2.
Cancer patients

Women at risk of infertility as a consequence of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or other cytotoxic treatment.

3.
​Women with low egg count

Women at risk of early onset menopause because of a low egg count for age, mother's history or gene mutation.

4.
​Objection to embryo freezing

Couples who object to the freezing of embryos either for religious or ethical reasons may limit the number of eggs fertilised.

Process

The first step is to find out your egg reserves through a simple blood test and pelvic ultrasound. Knowing your egg count helps tailor your stimulation protocol and facilitate discussion about the potential number of eggs you may retrieve if you have treatment.

​1.  Nurse interview

• In preparation for your treatment cycle, the friendly fertility nurses will provide a comprehensive overview of the process and guide you in the use of medications.
• To commence treatment, contact the clinic on the first day of established bleeding.

​2. Medications & monitoring

• On average, it takes approximately 11 days of controlled hormonal stimulation for the ovaries to be stimulated for eggs to mature.
• During this time, your response is monitored by blood tests and pelvic ultrasounds.  
• Egg collection is arranged 36 - 38 hours after your trigger injection.

​3. Egg collection

• Egg collection is performed under general anaesthesia or light sedation with local anaesthesia.
• The follicles are drained under ultrasound-guidance with a small needle through the vaginal wall.
• The fluid is carefully examined for eggs and checked for their maturity.​​

4. Egg freezing & storage

• Mature eggs are instantaneously frozen in the laboratory using a technique called Vitrification. This cutting-edge technology of rapid freezing prevents ice crystals forming and damage to the eggs.
• Your eggs are stored in liquid nitrogen in specialised containers until you wish to use them.

​Using your eggs in the future

• When you are ready, a small batch of your eggs are warmed (thawed) for the procedure
• Sperm are then injected into the eggs through a procedure called ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection)
• The fertilised eggs are grown to Day 5 to determine your best embryo for transfer to your womb  
• A pregnancy test is arranged 11 days after the embryo transfer
• The remaining eggs will remain frozen until you wish to access them