- MEDICINE ATHENS MED4WOMAN ATHENS
- MEDICINE VOLOS MED4WOMAN VOLOS
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- 2421022988
Obstetrician Gynaecologist
Doctor of Medicine, University of Athens Medical School
Panagiotis Polyzos, Gynaecologist Obstetrician, is active at the Institute of Life - IVF Unit of Iaso Maternity Hospital.
Egg freezing is a new proposal in assisted reproduction that gives women the ability to “freeze” time and choose when they want to become mothers.
Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a method used to ensure a woman’s ability to become pregnant in the future.
The eggs collected from your ovaries are frozen without fertilization and stored for future use. A frozen egg can later be thawed, fertilized with sperm in a laboratory, and implanted into your uterus.
Your doctor can help you understand how egg freezing works, the possible risks involved, and whether this fertility preservation method is suitable for you based on your needs and reproductive history.
Egg freezing may be an option if you are not ready to become pregnant now, but want to ensure that you can become pregnant later.
Unlike freezing of fertilised eggs (embryo cryopreservation), egg freezing does not require sperm because the eggs are not fertilized before freezing. However, just like with embryo freezing, you will need to use fertility medications so that you can produce multiple eggs for retrieval.
You can use your frozen eggs to attempt pregnancy with sperm from your partner or from a sperm donor.
Today, we can cryopreserve any cell, any egg, any sperm with 100% success, meaning a 100% survival rate after thawing.
Initially, this method was used for women with cancer who needed to undergo chemotherapy, which would completely shut down their fertility. Today, social conditions have changed, and it is very common for women to postpone childbearing to later in life. As a result, they are also placed in the previous category, meaning they risk not having eggs of good quality at an older age in order to achieve a successful pregnancy.
In Europe, many children have already been born through this procedure, which also has similar success rates to those achieved with the use of non-frozen (fresh) eggs.
With this method, women now have the ability to preserve their eggs at ages close to 30, so they can maintain the possibility of conceiving more easily even 10–15 years later, by using eggs retrieved at a younger age. This way, they can avoid numerous IVF attempts with uncertain outcomes.
Therefore, egg freezing is now considered a valuable option and an important tool in the fundamental right of every woman to have a child.
Egg freezing may involve some minor potential risks. Some of these include:
If you use your frozen eggs to attempt conception, the risk of miscarriage will be based primarily on your age at the time the eggs were frozen. Older women have a higher miscarriage rate, mainly due to egg quality.
Research to date has not shown an increased risk of genetic abnormalities in babies born as a result of egg freezing. However, more research is needed regarding the overall safety of egg freezing.
If you are considering freezing your eggs, look for a fertility clinic that specializes in this field.
If the cost of egg freezing is a concern, ask for detailed information about the costs associated with each step of the process, as well as the annual storage fees.
Ovarian reserve testing. To determine the quantity and quality of your eggs, your doctor may check the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, and AMH in your blood on the third day of your menstrual cycle. These results can help predict how your ovaries will respond to fertility medications.
A transvaginal ultrasound of the ovaries may also be used to provide a more comprehensive assessment of their function.
Infectious disease screening. You will undergo testing for certain infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
Egg freezing includes multiple stages — ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and freezing.
You will receive synthetic hormones to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs — instead of the single egg that typically develops each month.
A daily injection of fertility drugs such as follicle-stimulating hormone alpha or beta (e.g., Gonal-f, Puregon) or menotropins (Menopur).
Medications to prevent premature ovulation. Your doctor may prescribe an injectable gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist such as leuprolide acetate or a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist such as cetrorelix (Cetrotide).
During treatment, your doctor will monitor you closely. You will undergo blood tests to measure your response to the ovarian-stimulating medications. Estrogen levels typically rise as the follicles develop, while progesterone levels remain low until after ovulating.
Monitoring visits will also include transvaginal ultrasound scans to track follicular growth.
When the follicles are ready for egg retrieval — generally after 10 to 14 days — an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (Pregnyl, Ovitrelle) or another medication is given to help the eggs mature.
Η ovulation is performed under intravenous sedation at a fertility clinic. A common approach is ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration, during which a transvaginal ultrasound probe is inserted into the vagina to locate the follicles.
A needle is then guided through the vaginal wall into a follicle. The suction device attached to the needle is used to remove the egg from the follicle. Multiple eggs may be collected, and studies show that the more eggs retrieved — up to 15 per cycle — the better the chances of achieving a live birth.
After ovulation, you may experience abdominal cramping. A feeling of fullness or pressure may continue for a few days because your ovaries remain enlarged.
Shortly after retrieval, your unfertilized eggs are cooled to sub-zero temperatures to preserve them for future use. The process most commonly used for egg freezing is called vitrification. High concentrations of substances that help prevent the formation of ice crystals during freezing (cryoprotectants) are used, combined with rapid cooling.
Typically, you can resume normal activities within one week after egg retrieval. Avoid unprotected sex to prevent an unintended pregnancy.
When you decide to use your frozen eggs, they will be thawed, fertilized with sperm in a laboratory, and implanted into your uterus.
The chances of achieving pregnancy after implantation are approximately 30% to 60%, depending on your age at the time the eggs were frozen.
The entire procedure is designed with the necessary safety measures in place to maximize the protection of a woman’s health. In most cases, there are no complications or side effects. However, everybody is different, and each case is evaluated individually.
In the first stage, a series of tests is performed to assess both the quality and quantity of your eggs. These are relatively simple tests, such as blood tests and ultrasounds. Then, ovarian stimulation takes place and, once the stimulation is complete, the eggs are collected from the ovaries and frozen using a specialized method.
Throughout the entire procedure, sedation is provided, making it completely painless.
It is best to undergo egg freezing at a younger age, while the eggs are still healthy and plentiful. One in three women freezes her eggs before the age of 35. However, the procedure can also be done at 38, 39, 40, and even 42.
Still, once the decision has been made, it is recommended to proceed as early as possible — rather than at 43 or 45. Keep in mind that, according to studies, only about 8% of a woman’s eggs remain suitable for reproduction at older ages.
Information regarding the cost of egg freezing is provided during a scheduled consultation, where the doctor will explain in detail the overall expenses involved in the procedure. It is also important for the doctor to first evaluate your specific case and then inform you about the pricing.
