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Egg Freezing
As women become older, their chances of getting pregnant begin to decrease. This decline starts after the mid-thirties and becomes even more pronounced over the age of 40. Freezing your eggs at a stage in your life when the ovaries are capable of producing high quality eggs is therefore a sensible option for fertility treatment in future years.
Egg Freezing may be suitable for
- Women about to undergo chemotherapy or radiology with a possible subsequent loss of function of the ovaries
- Women with a family history of premature menopause
- Women who wish to delay starting a family for any reason
The process
The freezing process is performed by a quick cooling method known as vitrification. Once frozen, the eggs are stored at extremely low temperatures in liquid nitrogen. It should be noted that egg freezing is still a relatively new technique and not all eggs will survive the the freezing and thawing process or become fertilized.
The standard storage period for eggs as recommended by the HFEA is normally ten years.
Success rates and safety
Egg freezing is still at a relatively experimental stage, with only a small number of births recorded in the UK. Therefore it is difficult to assess the chances of getting pregnant with frozen eggs but the success rates are low. The risks involved are dependent on the fertility drugs used for treatment.
You will be required to sign relevant consent forms. Counselling is also available if you wish to discuss your concerns with someone prior to taking a decision whether to go ahead with egg freezing or not.