Understanding the Different Phases of Egg Freezing

Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Deborah Smith and our team at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center are committed to helping you achieve your goal of becoming a parent, whether that’s now or sometime in the distant future.

Dr. Smith explains the basics of egg freezing (cryopreservation), who might want to take advantage of it, and what you can expect during the process.

Preserving your eggs for future use

Ongoing advances in medical technology and technique make it possible to collect, freeze, and store mature but unfertilized eggs for future use.

When you’re ready to start your family, the eggs are thawed and, using in vitro fertilization (IVF), they’re combined with sperm from a partner or donor and implanted in your uterus.

Dr. Smith notes that there’s no evidence that the health or viability of frozen eggs decreases with time, and eggs may be stored for a decade or more before you decide to become pregnant.

Why would I need to freeze my eggs?

While there are exceptions to every rule, women typically produce the most viable (healthy) eggs between the ages of 18 and 24.

Although your odds of getting pregnant are still quite high in your mid-to-late 20s, the chance of conceiving without intervention (fertility treatments) declines steadily in your mid 30s and 40s.

As you age, the number of eggs available for maturation and fertilization declines. Older eggs are also more vulnerable to fetal abnormalities that can increase your risk of miscarriage and other pregnancy complications.

Women often choose egg freezing when they:

• Are facing chemotherapy or radiation treatments that affect fertility
• Have a family history of early menopause
• Are interested in accomplishing their career or education goals before pregnancy
• Prefer to freeze eggs rather than embryos produced by fertility treatments
• Desire to be in a secure relationship before having children

Egg freezing can increase your chances of experiencing a healthy pregnancy even when you’ve chosen to delay parenting by several years. 

Phases of the egg-freezing process

After a thorough evaluation that includes a pelvic exam and various tests to ensure you’re a good candidate for the procedure, egg freezing requires several steps that may take 6-8 weeks to complete.

These include:

Increasing egg production

To increase your monthly egg production, Dr. Smith prescribes birth control pills followed by two weeks of hormone injections. Your ovaries normally produce only one viable egg per month. Hormone therapy stimulates them to produce multiple eggs, ideally 12-16.

Egg retrieval

Once the eggs have matured, your specialist retrieves them from the ovaries via a vaginal approach under ultrasound guidance. You’ll be awake but sedated for this procedure which typically takes 15-20 minutes. It causes mild cramping but is not overtly painful.

Egg freezing

The unfertilized eggs are then frozen and stored until you’re ready to become pregnant, usually within vitro fertilization (IVF).

For more information about egg freezing or any of the fertility services we offer at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center, schedule a visit with Dr. Smith today. We have offices in both Parker, Colorado, and Rapid City, South Dakota.