Egg freezing
Egg cryopreservation (egg freezing) is a method that has recently started to be applied in assisted reproduction in cases where there are:
- Women who wish to preserve their fertility and postpone having a family
- Women with reduced ovarian function or endometriosis
- Women who are about to undergo oncological treatment and there is an increased risk of loss of fertility
- Couples who for moral or religious reasons wish to avoid freezing embryos
The cryopreservation technique used is that of rapid vitrification. The egg survival rate after thawing is over 90%. The cryopreservation of unfertilised oocytes is a promising method that meets needs arising from the modern lifestyle of many women and seems to have a lot to offer in the field of assisted reproduction.
When should the freezing be done?
The “the sooner the better” applies here. We usually set the limit at 38 years, always after a detailed assessment of the woman’s health and reproductive capacity based on her medical history (hormonal profile, diagnosis of other health problems, etc.).
If a woman freezes eggs at 35 and decides to get pregnant with them at 42, then her reproductive age is 35, not 42. In short, the method “freezes time”. But the most common mistake women make is that they decide when it is already too late. A woman over 40 will not get the same results as a younger woman.
For example, a 40-year-old woman may need to freeze more than 20 eggs (and may need to undergo several cycles of ovarian stimulation to achieve this number), while a 35-year-old woman may need 8-10 eggs.
