Embryos frozen in liquid nitrogen for IVF procedure (Image - Freepik.com)

Written by Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : August 12, 2022 11:49 AM IST

Not ready to be a mother yet? If you planning to delay pregnancy, then consider freezing your eggs. Your ovarian reserve declines gradually with increasing age. So, preserve your eggs now if you want to get pregnant in the future.

"Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation in medical terms, is a fertility preservation technique in which eggs are extracted from the ovaries and frozen to be used in the future to achieve pregnancy using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) procedures. Here are certain things you should know before you go for the procedure," explained Dr. Parul Gupta, Fertility Expert, Nova Southend IVF and Fertility, Delhi.

There are certain situations where egg freezing can be done to postpone pregnancies or as personal choices. According to Dr. Gupta, egg freezing can be considered under these following situations: Also Read IVF Pregnancy: Some Crucial Techniques That Help Embryologists Pick The Best EmbryoFertility And Diet: Is There A Connection?Oral Health During Pregnancy - Here's What All Expectant Moms Should Know More News

Medical Conditions Impacting Fertility: These could include sickle cell anaemia, autoimmune diseases like lupus.

Gender Reassignment Procedures: Undergoing gender reassignment procedures such as transgender identity.

Undergoing Chemotherapy For Cancer Treatments: You are receiving treatment for cancer or another illness that may impair your ability to conceive. Certain medical treatments, such as radiation or chemotherapy, can have a negative impact on your fertility. You may be able to have biological children later if you freeze your eggs before treatment.

Single Women: Fertility declines with age. As one approaches their late-30s that decline accelerates and the available eggs begin to diminish in quality associated with higher risk and pregnancy complications. Therefore, cryopreservation allows to increase the odds of having a successful pregnancy in the future.

You will almost certainly have some screening blood tests before beginning the egg-freezing process. As cited by Dr. Gupta, these include:

Ovarian reserve evaluation: On day three of your menstrual cycle, the concentration of follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol in your blood is tested to determine the quantity and quality of your eggs. The results can help predict how your ovaries will react to fertility drugs.

To get a more complete picture of ovarian function, another blood test and an ultrasound of the ovaries may be used.

Screening for infectious diseases: You'll be tested for infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis B and C.

The fertility expert also answered some of the frequently asked questions about egg freezing.

Q. What is the ideal age for freezing eggs?

Fertility begins to decline after the age of thirty-five and is greatly reduced by the age of forty. As a result, the optimal time to freeze your eggs would be in your late twenties and early thirties. However, freezing eggs from thirty to thirty-five years of age is also quite common.

Q. What is the process of freezing eggs?

Although sperm and embryos are simple to freeze, the egg is the largest cell in the human body and consists of a lot of water. When a cell freezes, ice crystals form that can destroy it. To prevent ice crystal formation, dehydration of the egg and the replacement of water with an "anti-freeze" prior to freezing is crucial. Currently, vitrification is the preferred method for cryopreservation oocytes, which is accomplished by rapidly cooling them into liquid nitrogen.

Q. What is involved in egg freezing?

Prior to the ovarian stimulation cycle, your fertility specialists may assess the ovarian reserve to estimate the potential yield of oocytes. Blood tests and pelvic ultrasounds are also performed as a part of the evaluation. These tests aid in determining the appropriate medication dose. Ovarian stimulation is performed in the same way that in vitro fertilization (IVF) is, with injectable hormonal medications. Following stimulation, the oocytes and surrounding fluid in the ovarian follicles are aspirated vaginally while the patient is sedated. The eggs' maturity is determined using a microscope, and those that are mature are cryopreserved.

Q. Is egg freezing safe?

According to recent studies, babies born from frozen eggs showed no increased rate of birth defects when compared with the general population. Furthermore, one study found no difference in the rates of chromosomal defects between embryos derived from frozen eggs and embryos derived from fresh eggs. Over 300,000 children have been born worldwide from frozen embryos using primarily cryopreservation techniques, with no increase in birth defects. Moreover, the entire process of cryopreservation is a smooth, pain-free procedure

Q. How are eggs used in future?

When the woman is ready to use the frozen eggs to conceive, the cryopreserved eggs are placed in a warming solution and evaluated. Those eggs that survived the freezing process are fertilized using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), in which a single sperm is injected directly into the egg, and the fertilized eggs will grow until the embryo(s) are ready to be transferred into the uterus to achieve pregnancy, which is usually 3-5 days after fertilization.

Q. How long can eggs be stored?

Preserving the eggs for longer periods of time does not appear to have any negative consequences. However, data storage is limited to four years. It should be noted that older maternal age during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cesarean section. Therefore, fertility centers have a maximum age limit for using these gametes to achieve pregnancy.

Q. How many eggs should be stored to achieve pregnancy?

According to several studies, egg thaw rates of 75 per cent and fertilization rates of 75 per cent are expected in women up to the age of 38. Thus, if 10 eggs are frozen, 7 are expected to survive the thaw and 5 to 6 will fertilize and develop into embryos. In women up to the age of 38, 2-3 embryos are typically transferred. As a result, we recommend storing 10 eggs for each pregnancy attempt. Most women aged 38 and under can expect to produce 10-20 eggs per cycle.

A study by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the NYU Langone Fertility Center found that egg freezing and thawing at a later date resulted in a higher pregnancy success rate than using fresh embryos during assisted reproductive technology, in women who had delayed childbearing. The study, published online in Fertility and Sterility, found that 70 per cent of women who froze their eggs before 38 years had a baby. In comparison, statistics gathered by the CDC from nearly 500 fertility clinics in the US showed that less than 30 per cent of women using fresh eggs or embryos to conceive through vitro fertilization (IVF) at age 40 become pregnant, and fewer than 20 per cent gave birth to live babies.

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