Should I consider freezing my eggs?

If used correctly, egg freezing can be a wonderful way to secure your future fertility. Here are some of the reasons why YOU might consider freezing your eggs.

• If you are a healthy woman who would like to delay having a baby for social reasons, such as late marriage, career possibilities etc

• If you are receiving therapy for cancer or other medical conditions that are harmful to your eggs

• If you are otherwise healthy but with specific genetic disorders which can cause premature menopause

In case you have a male partner already, instead of freezing your eggs, it might be better to freeze your embryos after fertilizing your

Why would a healthy woman want to freeze her eggs?

It is a well known fact that the possibility of becoming pregnant drops as your age advances. This is because you were born with a finite number of eggs, which continue to deplete as months pass by. However, it may not always be possible for you to have your children while you are in your prime reproductive years. Egg freezing gives you the opportunity to defer having a child until the time is right for you.

At what age should I freeze my eggs?

As eggs deteriorate in quantity and quality as age advances, it makes sense to freeze your eggs while they are still healthy and ample, so as to be able to utilise them when the time is right. The best results for this are before the age of 38 years. However, this may vary from one individual to another, and so evaluating you by a fertility specialist is important.

What does the process of egg freezing involve?

An initial evaluation of you consisting of blood tests and scans will give us a fair idea about the number of eggs to expect in one cycle at the time of extraction. This also helps in deciding the dosage of injections appropriate for you.
This is followed by stimulating your ovaries (with the help of daily injections) to produce multiple eggs at a time. Since the injections are similar to insulin shots taken by diabetics, the needles are very fine and easy to self-administer. Our nurses will train you to take the shots yourself, so that you do not need to visit us everyday.
Once your eggs appear ready on the scan (usually 10 to 12 days), they will be extracted under short anaesthesia. The procedure itself is therefore relatively pain-free.
Your eggs will then be frozen and stored in our laboratory until you are ready to have your baby.

How much time do I need to go through one cycle of egg freezing?

A typical cycle lasts approximately 2 weeks from your period, during which you may require 4 to 5 visits to the clinic. If your ovaries respond well, one cycle may be all you need to undergo. However, if the number of eggs are insufficient, you may need to undergo a further 1 or 2 similar cycles.

How long can human eggs be stored for once frozen?

Human eggs have been stored in the frozen state for upto 10 years. However, the ICMR currently permits storage of frozen gametes up to 10 years.

Is egg freezing safe for my baby?

Yes. Studies so far have shown no increase in abnormalities in children born of frozen eggs when compared to the normal population.

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