Egg freezing is becoming an increasingly common fertility treatment. For women who want to have biological children in the future but may have conflicting priorities right now, it can be an extremely valuable option to consider. If you are new to egg freezing, it’s important to be informed about all the steps involved and above all, understand that no fertility treatment can guarantee success.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, it is normal for women to delay having children until later in life. Sometimes by choice, sometimes through circumstance. It is important to respect everyone’s choices and avoid passing judgement. However, from a biological perspective, your chances of getting pregnant peak in your mid-20s to early-30s. When you reach your mid-30s, fertility starts to decline more rapidly. This is a normal and natural part of ageing.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there is a lack of information about the implications of age in terms of egg quality<\/a> \u2013 it is something I see very often in consultations and it is a problem we cannot \u2018fix\u2019. When we freeze eggs, we preserve their quality at that moment \u2013 if you freeze eggs at 30, for example, your eggs will retain the same potential of achieving a pregnancy if you use them at 40. Your chances of success depend on your age when you freeze your eggs \u2013 they are not affected by the age at which you use them in an IVF treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Therefore, freezing eggs when you are younger is an excellent option that allows you to prioritise what is important while having a ‘plan B’ in place.<\/p>\n Treatment begins with ovarian stimulation, which uses hormone injections over 10 \u2013 12 days to help the body to produce more eggs than normal. Once enough eggs have matured, we induce ovulation and 36 hours later, we retrieve the eggs.<\/p>\n The egg collection lasts no longer than 20 minutes and is performed under sedation so you won\u2019t feel any discomfort. Once collected, the eggs are immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196\u00b0C (also known as vitrification<\/a>). Recovery is fast and you\u2019re normally discharged within one hour, although we do recommend taking the day off to rest.<\/p>\n It is important to realise that egg freezing doesn\u2019t always result in a baby. To best understand your individual chances, it\u2019s a good idea to book an initial consultation<\/a> with a fertility clinic.<\/p>\n Yes, you can freeze eggs if you are over 35 but keep in mind that freezing eggs<\/a> preserves egg quality, so timing is important. Egg freezing works best if you do it earlier in life when the quality of your eggs is better \u2013 ideally, before 35. Although age has a significant role in your chances of success, other factors like lifestyle, genetics and pre-existing conditions can all be a factor, too.<\/p>\n If you freeze eggs in your late-30s or early-40s, you may produce fewer eggs and they may be lower in quality. This means you may need to go through multiple egg freezing cycles to accumulate an adequate number of eggs.<\/p>\n Not every egg is going to be viable: some may not be mature enough upon retrieval, some may not survive the thawing process, and some may not fertilise correctly when mixed with sperm. That is why we stimulate the ovaries to produce a multiple number of eggs during an egg freezing cycle. Freezing a higher number of eggs gives you the best possible chance of having a baby. Put simply, the more you freeze, the better your chances.<\/p>\n From your initial consultation to the day of your egg collection, the entire process takes between 2 \u2013 3 weeks at IVI London.<\/p>\n The NHS offers egg freezing in certain medical situations, such as for people who risk infertility because of cancer treatment<\/a>. Women who want to freeze eggs for non-medical reasons (sometimes called \u2018social freezing\u2019) must use a private clinic.<\/p>\nWhat is the process of freezing eggs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Can I freeze eggs if I am over 35?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How long does it take to freeze eggs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Can I get egg freezing funded by the NHS?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How much does egg freezing cost?<\/strong><\/h2>\n