What is Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing is the process of preserving eggs or oocytes taken from a woman’s ovaries for future use.
The egg is the female reproductive cell and also the largest cell in the body. Eggs are produced in the ovaries and transported to the uterus through the fallopian tubes. Every woman produces one egg per month. If the egg is not fertilized by sperm during that month, it is shed along with the menstrual flow.
Why is Egg Freezing Made?
One of the biggest obstacles for women in achieving parenthood is the significant decline in ovarian reserve and quality associated with age. Approximately one in every 1,000 women under the age of 30 worldwide is at risk of early menopause. Menopause marks the complete cessation of egg production.
To preserve their chances of becoming a mother in the future due to the decline in ovarian reserve, women can undergo an egg freezing procedure. Egg freezing has become a routine practice, similar to embryo freezing, particularly in the past five years, thanks to advancements in technology and the widespread use of a rapid freezing technique called vitrification.
Who is Egg Freezing Applied to?
Egg freezing procedure is particularly used in the following cases:
- When there is a desire to postpone having children in line with career plans and concerns about decreased fertility due to age.
- As a means of preserving fertility before undergoing chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatments for individuals diagnosed with cancer.
- To facilitate synchronization between egg donors and recipients in donation treatments.
- In couples with very low egg production, to increase the chances of treatment by reaching a specific number of eggs for the fertilization process.
How is the Egg Freezing Process Applied?
Prior to the procedure, a medication treatment called ovulation induction is administered to stimulate the development of as many eggs as possible. This medication treatment, which is also used in other IVF procedures, allows the eggs to mature, and they are then collected under general anesthesia. The egg retrieval process is short and painless. Mature and high-quality eggs are separated from the collected egg cells and undergo the freezing process using the vitrification technique. The duration between the start of medication treatment and egg retrieval is approximately 12-15 days.
Can Single Women Freeze Eggs?
One of the most common questions we encounter regarding egg freezing is “Can single women undergo egg freezing?” The answer is yes, single women can undergo egg freezing.
Those Who Have Had Egg Freezing
We have compiled a few frequently asked questions about egg freezing and their answers for you:
Will the eggs decrease with the egg freezing process?
No, there is no decrease in the number of eggs. In the treatment, medications are used to stimulate the eggs, and under normal conditions, the follicles that would shrink and disappear are enlarged and collected. There is no reduction in the number of eggs, and it does not harm the ovaries.
Will frozen eggs be damaged?
Freezing cells does not cause any damage to the cells. In our hospital, we perform freezing procedures using the vitrification method, and with the technologies we use, there is no harm to the cell structure during the freezing and thawing processes. Egg cells can maintain their viability for years in liquid nitrogen.
Are babies born from pregnancy with egg freezing healthy?
The process of egg freezing does not cause harm to the future baby. The first successful twin pregnancy with frozen eggs occurred in 1986. Since then, thousands of live births have taken place without anomalies.
Egg freezing can be done on which day of menstruation?
Ovarian stimulation treatment for egg retrieval typically begins on the 2nd or 3rd day of the menstrual cycle. The treatment lasts for approximately 12-15 days.
How to Choose the Best Egg Freezing Center?
The experience of the doctor in the field of assisted reproductive technologies is of great importance. Your doctor will adjust the dosage of hormone medications specifically for you and ensure that the eggs reach the desired maturity. We have success rates that exceed European standards in egg freezing and thawing procedures.
Egg freezing and thawing procedures using donor eggs are also performed frequently. Due to the widespread use of egg freezing, our success rates in these procedures are significantly high.
How Much Does Egg Freezing Cost?
To obtain detailed information about the price and process of egg freezing, you can fill out our contact form or reach out to us via WhatsApp.
