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Egg freezing is a good idea for those who are considering having children in the future. It improves the chances a woman plans to have a baby later and freezes eggs as soon as possible. Here, we answer a few questions related to egg freezing. Seek the help of a fertility consultant in case you have any doubts regarding this procedure.
As women age, they may have a problem conceiving. Women are born with about 1-2 million eggs, and the majority of the eggs tend to die off naturally (just like the way one loses skin and hair cells every day). So, when a girl hits puberty, there will be about half a million eggs. As she gets older and is in her mid-to-late-30s and 40s, the eggs will disappear even more quickly. Also, the eggs that are there will not be able to lead to a healthy pregnancy because of the normal age effects on egg quality.
Biologically, one can get pregnant before age 30. But, owing to professional, social, or medical reasons, a woman may not think of pregnancy and will delay having a baby until the time is right for her. One has to understand that her age will impact fertility and she needs to opt for treatments to freeze eggs to be saved for using them in the future.
Before egg freezing, one will have to get blood tests done. Then one may be asked to inject to stimulate the growth of many eggs in the ovaries. Then the eggs are then collected during a procedure requiring a general anaesthetic and are frozen. When a woman wants to become pregnant, the eggs are thawed and fertilized by injecting sperm into the egg (ICSI).
Even in younger women (that is <38-years-old) the chance that one frozen egg will yield a baby in the future is around 2-12%.Hence it is recommended to freeze at least 10 eggs for one attempt at an IVF cycle later. As women age, the egg quality goes down, and the pregnancy rate per frozen egg will also drop further.
Before egg freezing, a woman should consult a fertility specialist (reproductive endocrinologist) who will conduct screening tests to see if egg freezing is appropriate for her. Egg freezing is successful for women younger 38 years of age. Fertility starts to decline from the age of thirty and is reduced after forty years of age.
Yes, a woman can do so, but the pregnancy rates are lower from eggs frozen after the age of 38 so it is often recommended to freeze eggs much earlier. Those women who want to delay fertility after forty years of age can opt for donated eggs from a younger woman.
One should know that cryopreserved eggs are not a guarantee of a future baby, a woman needs to try to conceive as soon as she is ready and able to. A woman might have a sense of false security after egg freezing. She will delay her pregnancy until she gets older. Women should understand the risks of parenting at an advanced age. Various studies have confirmed that successful pregnancies with frozen eggs happen when women freeze their eggs in their 20s or early 30s. One needs to remember that pregnancy rates won't be as high for women who tend to go for egg freezing in their late 30s or early 40s.
It is a safe procedure and will not increase the risk of congenital birth diseases. One may get hot flashes, headaches, mood swings, bloating, nausea, weight gain, breast tenderness, spotting, and injection site soreness. But, there have been no serious long-term side effects noted yet.
(The article is contributed by Dr Ritu Hinduja, Fertility Consultant, Nova IVF Fertility, Mumbai)