Why you may need to store your eggs?
By storing your eggs, you may be able to use them for fertility treatment in the future. Women may want to freeze their eggs if:
They are facing medical treatment that may affect their fertility, for example – some cancer treatments.
They are single and are concerned about their fertility declining as they get older, and are not currently in a position to have a child.
How are eggs frozen? & For how long?
Eggs are carefully frozen using a process known as Cryo-preservation, thereafter they are placed in a storage tank containing Liquid Nitrogen. The standard storage period is normally up to 10 years.
What are my chances of having a baby using frozen eggs?
Since the process is fairly new, it is difficult to predict the pregnancy rate using frozen/thawed eggs. Not all eggs will survive the freezing & thawing process. However, success rates are currently 10%-15% of the small number of cycles that have taken place.
When you decide to use your eggs, provided they survive freezing and thawing, Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a must (refer to our leaflet re: ICSI), in order to achieve fertilisation.
What you need to do if you decide to freeze your eggs.
An initial consultation is required in order to record your medical and gynaecological history.
We would write to your GP, with your consent, requesting information on any contra-indications to treatment that he/she may be aware of.
Organise the investigations needed prior to treatment.
Discuss the treatment procedure and relevant dates. Treatment can usually be arranged to suit you.
At least one counselling session with an independent trained counsellor is arranged.
Pre-Treatment
Screening blood tests for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B & C and cystic fibrosis are required. This is arranged before starting treatment. If an abnormality is discovered appropriate treatment can be arranged.
Treatment
When you have decided that you wish to go ahead with treatment, you will be given an appointment to attend the Centre to discuss the sequence of events and the dates involved. This is an important and necessary appointment. No fee is charged for this visit.
During treatment injections are used to stimulate the ovaries and you may be required to make 3 to 5 visits in a 2 week period. Blood tests and ultrasound monitoring are usually performed between 9.00 am and 10.30 am to time the egg collection procedure accurately. Ultrasound monitoring and the egg collection procedure are performed vaginally.
On your first visit you will have an ultrasound scan followed by the first injection. Further explanation of expected treatment schedules is provided and the consent forms are checked.
When your ovarian response is optimal, you will be required to have a late night injection of HCG to ripen the eggs. The injection is usually performed between 10.00 pm and 01.00 am. It can be given locally or by yourself/your partner.
The egg collection procedure is performed in the morning. It is carried out either under a light general anaesthetic or intravenous sedation. You should arrange to have someone accompany you home after the procedure. We suggest a 14 day course of tablets following egg collection to suppress the ovaries and prevent complication such as hyperstimulation syndrome (see below).
Risks
With fertility drugs there are rare complications that we try to avoid by taking specific precautions.
1. Hyperstimulation Syndrome
This is a rare, but serious complication when fertility drugs are used and too many follicles (eggs) develop in the ovaries. The symptoms of ovarian hyperstimulation include lower abdominal pain accompanied by swelling of the abdomen. The ovaries become very large and surrounded by fluid and this may cause some nausea and vomiting. The loss of fluid in this way may lead to dehydration and decreased urine output. Any woman developing abdominal pain and swelling after the egg collection procedure are advised to telephone the Centre to attend for a check up so that we may make sure this condition is not developing. Treatment may require admission to hospital for bed rest for a few days and very rarely, intravenous fluids. We avoid this risk by choosing the lowest dose of fertility drugs that will produce an adequate number of eggs. If all the follicles are drained at the time of egg collection, the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome may be greatly reduced and we can further reduce the risk of the syndrome by the use of tablets for two weeks following the egg collection.
2. Bleeding
Any surgical procedure carries the risk of bleeding and we avoid this by using very thin needles for the egg collection procedure. We have not any problems with this complication in the past. You may expect a small amount of bleeding on the day of the egg recovery which will ease after a couple of days. If the bleeding becomes heavier, please contact the Centre.
3. Infection
Because the vagina normally contains bacteria, we use antiseptic fluid to clean the vagina prior to the egg collection procedure and also use antibiotics routinely to avoid the risk of infection.
4. How Successful is Egg Freezing?
Survival rates for eggs following freezing depend on the quality of the eggs before freezing, but on average only about 70% of the eggs frozen will survive the freezing and thawing process. Of the surviving eggs about 65% of these in turn will fertilise in response to ICSI (intra cytoplasmic sperm injection).
The use of frozen eggs is still relatively new and it is difficult to provide accurate statistics for pregnancy rates. However, there is no doubt in that embryos produced from frozen eggs are less viable than embryos from fresh eggs. Success rates worldwide appear to be about 25% per embryo transfer.
Women should be encouraged to use their frozen eggs as soon as practicable to avoid the natural decline in fertility as age increases. In most cases it is advisable to try to conceive with frozen eggs before age 40. In any event success rates may be higher using your own fresh eggs when you are older than using eggs you had frozen at a younger age..
