The Egg Freezing Process

THE EGG FREEZING PROCESS WHY EGG FREEZING? The average age for first time mothers in the US has been steadily increasing over the past 35 years 26 YEARS OLD 22 YEARS OLD 1980 2014 AVERAGE AGE FOR NEW MOTHERS Despite advances, improved health in later life does not offset natural, age-related declines in fertility 10% OF WOMEN 10% of women in the US aged 15-44 have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant THAT'S 6.1 MILLION WOMEN! Fertility can be expected to significantly decrease or even end 5 to 10 years before menopause MOST COMMON REASONS WOMEN HAVE THEIR EGGS FROZEN To delay childbearing in order to pursue educational, career or other personal goals To undergo medical treatments that can have an impact on fertility These include cancer To avoid complications that could arise from genetic traits such as early menopause treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy THE PROCESS The egg freezing process takes approximately four to six weeks to complete OVARIAN SUPPRESSION . Oral Contraceptive Pills are used for 2-4 weeks to synchronize egg follicles and help schedule the cycle OCPS can be avoided based on patient preferences or contraindications OVARIAN STIMULATION To begin, a baseline ultrasound examination and blood test is completed Dr.Jain will work to develop a personalized protocol to help stimulate ovulation and increase the chances for success Fertility medications (injections) are used to stimulate the ovaries, making multiple eggs available for retrieval EGG RETRIEVAL When ready, final egg maturation is triggered with a simple hormone injection 36 hours after this injection, an ultrasound- guided needle is inserted through the vagina to suction eggs from the ovarian follicle The retrieval procedure takes less than fifteen minutes, however, the entire appointment will take approximately two hours FREEZING AND STORAGE Eggs will be frozen immediately following retrieval Using a rapid-freeze, eggs are cryogenically / 0. preserved at a final temperature of -196°C At this temperature the egg ceases all metabolic activity until thawed EGG FREEZING SUCCESS 5000 BABIES ** To date, approximately 5000 babies have been born worldwide from frozen eggs. Among these births, the rate of birth defects and chromosomal defects has been no higher than that in the general population. Live birth rate per embryo transfer using vitrification is approximately 45% 45% With newer freezing methods such as vitrification, pregnancy rates are much better, approaching those of fresh (never-frozen) eggs SOURCES Santa Monica www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db21.pdf www.cnn.com/2014/02/17/health/record-ivf-use/ Egg Freezing Center FERTILITY SPECIALISTS Options for Life www.reproductivefacts.org/BOOKLET Age_And_Fertility/ www.eggfreezingcenter.com/egg-freezing/ humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/19/7/1548 www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/infertility.html ©పే D