New to Egg Freezing? The Top 10 Questions You Should Ask
You’ve heard about egg freezing from your friends, colleagues and all over the media, but what is it? Are you a candidate? And what do you need to know? OVA Egg Freezing Nurse Specialist, Whitney Bischoff, RN, BSN, answers all of your questions.
What exactly is egg freezing?
In simple terms, egg freezing is a process that allows women to literally freeze their fertility in time. During the 10-14 day process, you’ll be prescribed medications to help stimulate your ovaries to produce additional eggs. Your eggs are then retrieved and placed on ice giving you the choice of when you’re ready to start your family. This is about options, ladies. You can have it all!
Can I afford to freeze my eggs? Will insurance cover it?
A growing number of insurance companies are now covering the egg freezing process and we’re happy to call on your behalf to find out specifics on your plan and coverage. Whether you’re covered or not, at OVA we’ve made it a top priority to create customized financial packages that will fit your specific needs and budget. We’re truly dedicated to making egg freezing affordable and accessible to every woman.
Why should I freeze my eggs?
There are several reasons to freeze your eggs, the biggest question is, why wouldn’t you? Freezing your eggs is an insurance policy for your future. Whether you haven’t met the right guy, your schooling or career have postponed your plans, you need them for baby number 2 or 3, medical reasons, or you simply just aren’t ready to make a decision about motherhood, there is always a good reason to freeze your eggs. While there’s no guarantee that egg freezing will result in a pregnancy, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you’ll get older, but your eggs don’t have to.
Am I a candidate?
Every woman who wants to take control of her fertility is a candidate to freeze her eggs with OVA. Your fertility is never going to be as young as it is today- so why wait? We recommend freezing your eggs between the ages of 25-35. If you’re outside of this window, you’re still eligible- anytime is better than no time. Just recognize, the younger you are when you freeze, the healthier the eggs and the better your chances are of having a baby in the future.
How does it work? What’s the time commitment?
Once you’ve decided to freeze your eggs with OVA, be prepared, there is a time commitment involved. In order to safely stimulate your ovaries to produce eggs, you will need to give yourself injections and be monitored closely by an OVA physician for 10-14 days. Your eggs are then removed in a simple outpatient procedure and frozen indefinitely until you need them. With appointment flexibility to fit your hectic schedule and help with injections, OVA is changing the game of egg freezing, making the process easier and more convenient than ever.
Is it safe?
As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved, although they are minimal. The most common side effects of the medications are bloating, slight weight gain and fatigue although most women are surprised at the ease of the entire process. It’s important to note that recent studies show no increase in chromosomal abnormalities or birth defects linked to babies born from frozen eggs.
If I freeze my eggs, will I be losing eggs that I would have needed in the future? Will this decrease my chance of conceiving naturally someday?
No, during a normal menstrual cycle, several eggs are recruited. Only 1 egg matures, which is ovulated and the remainder are lost and absorbed within the body. The medications used in egg freezing help mature as many of those recruited eggs for retrieval, so in a sense, you are saving eggs rather than losing them. This does not impact your future conception plans.
How many eggs should I freeze and how many cycles will it take?
There are so many factors that come into play to determine the number of cycles you’ll want to complete and how many eggs you’ll need to freeze. We generally recommend patients freeze an average of 15-20 eggs to ensure the highest chance of a live birth in the future. This can take 1-3 cycles depending on your age, genetics and medical history.
Why is everyone talking about egg freezing lately?
Egg freezing has been around for years, but an advancement in technology called “egg vitrification” has dramatically improved success rates. This flash-freezing method prohibits damaging ice crystals from forming and secures your eggs in a glass-like structure. With remarkably better results from vitrification, more and more women are making the life-changing decision to freeze their eggs.
Why OVA?
We’re a first-of-its-kind specialty center catering exclusively to egg freezing patients. Backed by an industry-leading lab, our 30-year history has helped turn thousands of patients into parents. We already have proven results with a growing number of healthy babies born from eggs frozen in our lab. With our commitment to excellence and staying ahead of fertility research and innovation, OVA’s entire team is truly passionate about helping you achieve your future fertility dreams.
