What is Egg Freezing?

Egg freezing is the process of collecting eggs from a woman's ovaries, freezing them, and storing them for later use.

Recently, women have preferred to postpone their pregnancy plans, or due to environmental and biological factors, a decrease in ovarian reserve occurs, requiring early intervention. In such cases, egg freezing is applied to prevent the decline in the chance of becoming a mother over time.

This procedure involves stimulating the eggs in the woman’s ovaries with subcutaneous injections from the abdomen, then collecting them under anesthesia in the laboratory and preserving them frozen in nitrogen tanks. The purpose is to use these eggs when needed in the future.

Let's explain with an example; consider a young woman with a low ovarian reserve, single or not yet considering having children, whose ovarian reserve tends to decrease over time. When she accepts the treatment, we freeze her eggs. If she decides to have children later, even during menopause, she can use her frozen and thawed eggs to preserve her chance of pregnancy.

Egg freezing is performed after some preparatory steps such as hormone therapy and ovarian stimulation. During these stages, patients are given hormone medications for a certain period to stimulate their ovaries. This increases the number of eggs to be collected. Then, the eggs are collected and frozen in a laboratory environment.

Egg freezing can also be used in situations where women need to preserve their fertility potential for various reasons. For example, treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy for cancer can affect a woman's fertility. In these cases, women can preserve their fertility potential by undergoing egg freezing before treatment. In conclusion, egg freezing is the process of storing a woman’s eggs to be used during IVF treatment.

Who is Egg Freezing Performed For?

If you have a family history of early menopause (for example, if your mother, aunt, or sister stopped menstruating before age 40), your ovarian reserve is low (AMH value below 1.1), and you have not yet given birth, or if a surgical operation requires the removal of your ovaries or causes a significant decrease in your reserve; your eggs can be collected before this operation. Additionally, if chemotherapy or radiotherapy due to cancer will dramatically reduce your ovarian reserve, you can preserve your chance of motherhood by freezing your eggs beforehand. There is no time limit for storing these eggs.

For egg freezing to be performed, the patient must have completed puberty. Egg freezing is done in situations where women need to preserve their fertility potential for various reasons. These include:

Cancer Treatment: Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation can affect women's fertility. Therefore, women can preserve their fertility potential by undergoing egg freezing before cancer treatment.

Women who want to become mothers in the future: Women who wish to postpone motherhood due to career goals, education, financial, or other reasons can preserve their chances of becoming mothers at an older age by undergoing egg freezing.

Fertility Issues: Women with fertility problems and low ovarian reserve can create an egg stock by freezing eggs, which can be used later for IVF treatment.

Genetic Diseases: Women with a family history of hereditary diseases or early menopause can undergo egg freezing after genetic counseling and testing to create healthy embryos.

How is Egg Freezing Done?

In our clinic, egg freezing is performed through the following steps;

Hormone Stimulation: For egg freezing, women use a series of hormone medications that increase fertility hormones. These medications stimulate the ovaries and help multiple eggs to develop.
Egg Retrieval: After hormone therapy, a trigger injection is given to fully mature the eggs that have reached sufficient size. Eggs are collected 34-36 hours after this injection. The retrieval procedure is usually performed under sedation using a catheter. During the procedure, a thin needle is inserted through the vagina to reach the ovaries. Eggs are collected with the help of the needle and sent to the laboratory.
Egg Preparation: Once the eggs reach the laboratory, they undergo a series of processes. Eggs are first cleaned, then washed in a special solution, and finally coated with a protective agent before freezing.
Egg Freezing: After the eggs are prepared for freezing, the freezing process begins. This procedure is performed using a special device and usually involves liquid nitrogen. The temperature of the eggs is lowered to approximately -196 degrees Celsius and stored in this way.
Storage: After freezing, eggs are stored in a special container. Eggs can be stored for a long time; however, storing frozen eggs for more than 5 years requires permission from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey.

What Are the Important Factors in Egg Freezing for IVF Treatment?

There are some important factors to consider in order to achieve successful results in egg freezing for IVF treatment;

Age Factor: A woman’s age has a significant impact on egg quality. Generally, eggs of women under 30 years old are healthier. Therefore, the best age range for egg freezing is between 20 and 30 years.

Number of Eggs: It is important to collect a sufficient number of healthy eggs for the egg freezing process. Therefore, the dosage and duration of hormone medications used during the ovarian stimulation process are also important.

Egg Quality: The quality of the eggs must be preserved during the freezing process. To improve egg quality, the ovaries are stimulated using hormone medications.

Freezing Method: The method used to freeze the eggs also affects the results. Nowadays, the most commonly used methods are slow freezing and vitrification (rapid freezing). The choice of method depends on the quality of the eggs and the risk of damage during the freezing process.

Storage Duration: The length of time the eggs are stored also affects the outcomes. Eggs are stored in a special tank containing liquid nitrogen. The longer the eggs are stored, the lower their chances of success when used.

Genetic Testing: Some women undergo egg freezing due to genetic diseases. In this case, it is important to perform genetic tests and select healthy embryos.

Paying attention to these factors ensures successful results.

Egg Freezing Techniques

The techniques we use in the egg freezing process are as follows:

1. Slow Freezing Technique: In this technique, the eggs are first stored in a protective solution. Then, they are placed in a tank containing liquid nitrogen, and the temperature is gradually lowered. In this method, the temperature is reduced before ice crystals can form in the egg cells.
2. Vitrification (Rapid Freezing) Technique: In this method, the egg cells are rapidly cooled in liquid nitrogen vapor. The temperature of the egg cells is quickly lowered to a higher temperature due to the risk of crystallization.
3. Vitrification: Vitrification is a type of rapid freezing technique. In this method, the eggs are first stored in a protective solution and then rapidly cooled in liquid nitrogen vapor. Vitrification minimizes crystallization that may occur during the freezing of egg cells and provides a higher survival rate.

Egg Freezing Prices 2024

Egg freezing can be more expensive compared to other IVF procedures. This is because it requires a more specialized laboratory environment for the collection, preservation, and storage of eggs. Egg freezing prices depend on factors such as the technique used, laboratory quality, and post-procedure follow-up. For more detailed information about egg retrieval procedure prices, you can contact us.

Hospitals Performing Egg Freezing Procedure

Many hospitals and clinics in Turkey perform egg freezing procedures. Women wishing to undergo the procedure can make their choice based on their doctors' recommendations and the success rates of the clinics. It's important to do thorough research to select the best egg freezing center. For more detailed information about the egg freezing procedure and answers to your questions, you can fill out the contact form or reach us by calling +90 532 440 45 17.

How Old Can Egg Freezing Be Performed?

There is no age limit for women to undergo egg freezing. It can be done at any age.

Can Single Women Freeze Their Eggs?

Single women can undergo egg freezing. For virgins, the ultrasound probe used is very thin, so the hymen is not affected. For women who are extremely sensitive about this, egg retrieval can be performed through the abdominal region.