How To Freeze Eggs - Complete Process?

The path to parenthood is often filled with hope, anxiety, and a fair share of questions. In contemporary societies, there is a trend of achieving delayed parenthood, particularly due to prioritisation of higher education, financial stability, and career establishment. This is where the role of egg freezing comes into play because it allows women to preserve their fertility at a younger age when the egg quality and quantity are at their peak.

You can seek fertility treatment in Siliguri or any location of your convenience to undergo egg freezing. The ideal age to freeze your eggs is between the late 20s and early 30s. This blog will act as a complete guide to egg freezing so that you gain a clear understanding and make informed decisions.

Know How To Freeze Eggs - Complete Process

Here is a step-by-step process for freezing eggs as a part of fertility preservation treatment:

• Initial consultation and fertility testing: Your egg freezing journey begins at a trusted fertility clinic near you. During your appointment, a fertility doctor will perform blood tests to check Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) levels, along with using a transvaginal ultrasound to assess your egg reserve. These tests help the doctor to determine if egg freezing is suitable for you or not. Therefore, a personalised medication and care plan can be created based on your reproductive health condition and future family goals.

• Pre-cycle preparation and synchronisation: Before the initiation of your treatment, a dedicated medical team in the chosen fertility clinic will review your customised medication protocol and have you sign legal consent forms. Please note that certain fertility clinics may prescribe birth-control pills for 15 - 20 days to synchronise your follicles. This helps in ensuring that all follicles grow at the same rate when the stimulation begins. The significance of such pre-cycle preparation is that it helps in aligning your biological cycle with the clinic’s schedule. Therefore, the next phases can become more predictable and manageable through proper pre-cycle preparation.

• Ovarian stimulation (Day 1-12): This is the beginning of your active phase, where hormonal injections are administered. The hormonal injections, such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), are administered for around 10-14 days to make the ovaries produce multiple mature eggs instead of a single egg. This "superovulation" holds tremendous significance because it allows the retrieval of a higher number of eggs, which significantly increases the probability of a successful live birth when you decide to achieve parenthood.

• Monitoring and potential dose adjustments: During the simulation phase, you will visit the fertility clinic after every few days to ensure proper monitoring. The visits will include a blood test to track estrogen levels, which helps in monitoring follicle growth and assessing egg maturity. In addition, ultrasounds will be used to monitor the growth and track the effectiveness of stimulation medications. These real-time results help doctors adjust medication doses and optimise the egg development, which in turn reduces the risk of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS).

• The final trigger shot: Your doctor will administer a final trigger shot once your egg follicles reach an optimal size. Generally, hCG is used as a trigger shot to initiate the final stage maturation of the eggs. After the final trigger shot is administered, the egg retrieval procedure must take place within 34-36 hours. This is because eggs become perfectly mature to be retrieved, but not for the body to release them yet. Therefore, this is a critical stage of the egg freezing process because it determines the window of egg retrieval following perfect maturation.

• Egg retrieval procedure: Egg retrieval is a quick, minimally invasive procedure, and is performed under anaesthesia. Thus, you will not feel pain during the retrieval process. Your doctor will use an ultrasound-guided needle that passes through the vaginal wall and aspirates the fluid from each follicle. Generally, it takes around 30-45 minutes for the retrieval process to take place. You might experience mild cramps after the retrieval procedure, so it is highly recommended to be accompanied by someone when you go home.

• Embryology lab assessment: Once the retrieval is done, the collected fluid is handed to an embryologist in a specialised lab setting. An embryologist uses a microscope to isolate the eggs from the fluid. After that, each egg is assessed for quality and maturity. This is done because only the mature eggs are suitable for freezing and capable of fertilisation in later years. The immature eggs are discarded, and the final count of the mature eggs will be informed to you once the assessment is done.

• Vitrification: During this stage, the mature eggs are frozen using a state-of-the-art technique called vitrification, which is an ultra-rapid freezing process that converts liquid into glass-like samples. In addition, damage to the ice crystals is prevented by treating the eggs with cryoprotectants. After that, the eggs are rapidly cooled to -196℃in liquid nitrogen. The overall freezing process is completed within a few minutes. Therefore, the eggs’ biological activity and ageing are paused using this technique. Vitrification is a revolution in IVF because it significantly improves the survival rates of eggs.

• Cryogenic storage:  After the eggs are successfully frozen, they will be placed into specialised vials that have a unique identification number. The storage is done in liquid nitrogen tanks, which are continuously monitored by the clinic. The frozen eggs can remain viable for 10 years or more without any reduction in quality. You need to pay an annual storage fee and live a stress-free life without worrying about delayed parenthood. Therefore, you can opt for live birth once you are mentally and financially ready.

Who Should Choose Egg Freezing?

Here are the primary groups of people who can consider egg freezing:

• Individuals wanting delayed parenthood: If you are not ready for a child until your late 20s or early 30s due to career and financial goals, egg freezing helps you lock in the quality of your eggs at a younger age.

• People with medical conditions: People who need to undergo cancer treatments, such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy, or people who need to undergo surgeries that can impact the ovaries, should prioritise freezing their eggs. This needs to be done before the surgery to protect the reproductive system.

• People with diminishing reserve: People who have been diagnosed with PCOS, endometriosis, or have a family history of early menopause are vulnerable to losing their egg supply faster. Thus, they can benefit by freezing their eggs.

Final Thoughts

The decision to preserve your fertility by freezing eggs is a powerful step to take control of your reproductive health. Whether you are focused on education, career, or navigating a medical diagnosis, egg freezing offers a perfect opportunity to keep your parenthood dream intact without compromising on your current goals.

However, the key to safe and effective egg freezing relies massively on choosing a trusted IVF clinic, such as Newlife Fertility Centre. This is because such reputable fertility clinics have highly experienced IVF doctors and state-of-the-art infrastructure required for successful and safe egg freezing.

Book your consultation for egg freezing today by seeking the best fertility treatment in Siliguri or your preferred location.