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Egg Freezing

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in Fertility Care

Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is a fertility preservation technique in which a woman’s eggs are collected, matured, and stored at subzero temperatures for future use. Later, when she is ready for pregnancy, the eggs can be thawed, fertilized with sperm (through IVF or ICSI), and implanted into the uterus.

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Egg Freezing

What is Egg Freezing ?

Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is a fertility preservation technique in which a woman’s eggs are collected, matured, and stored at subzero temperatures for future use. Later, when she is ready for pregnancy, the eggs can be thawed, fertilized with sperm (through IVF or ICSI), and implanted into the uterus.

This method preserves eggs in their younger, healthier state, giving women the opportunity to have children later in life, even if natural fertility declines.

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Causes

Egg freezing is considered for a variety of medical and social reasons:

Medical Reasons:

  • Women undergoing cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery) that can damage ovaries.
  • Women with endometriosis or ovarian cysts, which may reduce egg reserve.
  • Autoimmune diseases requiring treatments that harm ovarian function.
  • Carriers of genetic mutations (e.g., BRCA, Turner syndrome) associated with early menopause or ovarian failure.
  • Before surgery that may impair ovarian function.

Social/Personal reasons (“Elective egg freezing”):

  • Delaying childbearing due to career, education, or personal readiness.
  • Lack of a suitable partner but desire for future motherhood.
  • Wanting to avoid the biological limits of age-related infertility.
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When it is Considered ?

  • Ideal age: Women in their 20s to early 30s achieve the best success rates (eggs are healthiest at this stage).
  • Acceptable age: Up to the mid-to-late 30s, though fertility and egg quality decline significantly.
  • Not typically advised: Over 40, as egg quality and pregnancy chances become very low

It is especially considered:

  • Before fertility-damaging treatments (cancer, surgery).
  • By women who want to delay childbearing but preserve fertility options.
  • By women with a family history of premature ovarian failure

Types of Egg Freezing

Slow Freezing (Traditional method)

  • Eggs cooled gradually and froze.
  • Can cause ice crystal formation inside the egg, damaging it.
  • Now largely replaced by vitrification.

Vitrification (Rapid Freezing – Current Standard)

  • Uses ultra-rapid cooling and cryoprotectants.
  • Prevents ice crystal formation, preserving egg integrity.
  • Ensures higher survival rates upon thawing.

Step Process

Procedure

Step 1 : Initial Consultation & Evaluation
  • Hormone tests, ovarian reserve tests (AMH, antral follicle count), ultrasound scans.
  • Assessment of medical history and fertility goals.
  • Daily hormone injections (FSH, LH) stimulate multiple eggs to mature
  • Regular ultrasound and blood tests monitor egg development.
  • A thin needle guided by ultrasound collects eggs from ovarian follicles.
  • Performed under mild anesthesia.
  • The procedure lasts 15–30 minutes.
  • Mature eggs assessed under a microscope.
  • Good-quality eggs frozen using vitrification.
  • Stored in liquid nitrogen at –196°C.
  • Eggs remain frozen until needed
  • They can be stored for many years with minimal loss of viability.
  • When the woman is ready, eggs are thawed.
  • Fertilization is usually done via ICSI (injecting a single sperm into an egg).
  • Embryos are transferred into the uterus (IVF cycle).

Benefits

  • Reproductive Independence: Allows women to have biological children later in life.
  • Cancer Protection: Safeguards fertility before gonadotoxic treatments.
  • Age Preservation: Eggs retain the biological age at which they were frozen.
  • Peace of Mind: Reduces stress for women who are not yet ready for motherhood.
  • More Options for Parenthood: Provides alternatives for women who face declining ovarian reserve.

Results & Success Rates

  • Survival Rate : With vitrification, ~90–95% of eggs survive freezing and thawing.
  • Fertilization Rate Thawed eggs fertilize normally with ICSI
  • Pregnancy Rate: Depends strongly on age at freezing
    <35 years: highest success (up to 50–60% per thawed egg cohort).
    35–38 years: moderate success.
    >40 years: significantly lower success due to poor egg quality.
  • Studies show women who froze eggs at younger ages had much higher live birth rates later