Nowadays, women are more active in their professional lives and do not want children early. So, they usually try to postpone their pregnancy. But as you all might know, there is some specific age when one should plan to conceive.
Therefore, those women who want to postpone their pregnancy can choose the option of freezing their eggs. Due to medical concerns, job aspirations, or personal preferences, egg freezing gives women the freedom to postpone parenthood until they are fit. However, not everyone is aware of the entire procedure. But do not worry, in this blog, we will explore the egg-freezing procedure, related expenses, advantages, and what to expect along this process.
What is Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing can also be called Oocyte cryopreservation, and is one of the methods of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). This involves preserving fertility that gives women the chance to protect their fertility for future family planning.
Egg donation is also part of egg freezing. Egg donation is the process in which a donor provides eggs for another person to use during their reproductive treatments. The main objective of egg freezing is always the same: freezing eggs early in life and saving them for later use. By this process, you can maintain fertility.
Egg Freezing Process
The entire process of freezing eggs should take two to three weeks, though there may be some variations in timeframes. But, there are chances that cycles can be completed in less than two weeks. Some steps that are usually followed during the egg freezing process:
1. Consultation: When you choose an egg-freezing method to maintain fertility, you should consult a fertility doctor. The doctor will test and discuss your reproductive health, medical history, and reasons for choosing egg freezing.
2. Ovarian Stimulation: Based on the advice of your doctor and the stage of your menstrual cycle you can get started with ovarian stimulation. In this step, women are injected with hormone injections to encourage their ovaries to generate more than the typical single egg that matures during a menstrual cycle.
3. Monitoring and Follicle Development: Throughout the ovarian stimulation process, ovarian follicles, which store the eggs are monitored for 10 – 14 days using ultrasound and blood tests to examine their growth and development.
4. Egg Retrieval: Once the follicles have grown to their ideal size, a minor surgical operation is performed. This process is known as egg retrieval or oocyte retrieval. In this operation, the woman is under sedation until the mature eggs are removed from the follicles. Removal of the egg is done using a needle that is introduced through the vaginal wall. It takes around ten to twenty minutes to complete the egg removal process.
5. Cryopreservation: The recovered eggs from the follicle are then frozen using a procedure known as vitrification. This procedure is required to avoid the development of ice crystals and maintain the viability of the eggs.
6. Storage: The frozen eggs are kept alive for a long time in cryogenic tanks at specialized facilities.
Cost of Egg Freezing
The cost of freezing eggs can differ significantly depending on clinic to clinic. Some clinics may provide package deals or other financing options. However, most insurance plans do not include this procedure unless there is a medical condition like cancer that is endangering your fertility.
The cost of freezing eggs is calculated in cycles that start with consultation and end with storage and freezing of eggs.
Your first consultation and all the initial medical tests can range from INR 1,500 to INR 5,000. The cost of medicines and monitoring during ovarian stimulation might differ significantly, with prices ranging from INR 20,000 to INR 40,000 for each cycle.
One should also consider the cost of egg removal and the freezing process. The process of removal of eggs may cost INR 20,000 to INR 50,000. Moreover, the annual cost of freezing eggs can range from INR 10,000 to INR 30,000.
*Important Note* The total cost may increase depending on the number of cycles required for the egg-freezing process. Also, keep in mind that the above prices are just the estimated costs and can differ depending on the clinic and doctor.
Benefits of Egg Freezing
There are several benefits associated with egg freezing. Some are mentioned below:
1. Fertility Preservation: Women who choose to postpone their pregnancy for personal or professional reasons, or who are undergoing medical treatments that may affect their fertility, can maintain their fertility and reproductive options by freezing their eggs.
2. Increased Success Rates: Due to the developments in egg-freezing methods like vitrification, there is now a greater chance of successful future pregnancies.
3. Control and Empowerment: Egg freezing gives women the ability to take charge of their reproductive health and make decisions about when to start a family, without thinking about age-related concerns in fertility.
What to Expect Before and After Freezing Eggs?
Physical Discomfort: During ovarian stimulation, you may feel bloated, mood swings, and pelvic discomfort. But usually, these symptoms go away after the egg retrieval process.
Emotional Factors: Freezing eggs can disrupt your feelings, such as uncertainty, anxiety, and enthusiasm. Therefore, it’s important to have a support system and have clear communication with your doctor about your emotions and discuss if you have any questions or concerns
Future Planning: It’s important to think about how you want to use your frozen eggs in the future once the freezing process is complete. If you want to use donor sperm or in vitro fertilization (IVF) to try to conceive, having a well-defined plan in place might help reduce uncertainty.
Potential Risks: Although the steps included in the egg freezing process are safe, there are some possible risks such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, haemorrhage, infection and a minor chance of egg destruction during freezing.
Conclusion
To sum up, women have a great opportunity to take charge of their reproductive destiny and maintain their fertility through egg freezing. If women are well aware of the procedure, associated expenses, advantages, and expectations, they can decide whether to go for egg freezing or not. Egg freezing provides a way to parent according to your terms, regardless of medical necessity, professional goals, or personal choices.
Don’t be afraid to contact a fertility doctor if you’re thinking about freezing your eggs to go over your options and start the parenthood journey. Book your first appointment with an experienced fertility doctor at Vansh IVF & Hospital in Lucknow at 7408415995.
