Perhaps the most important medical risks associated with egg freezing are those that can result from ovarian stimulation, such as
The risks of freezing your eggs
“It's a good technology, but it's not a perfect technology,” Dr. Rehmer states. PMS-like side effects: The hormone injections you'll take at the beginning of the process can cause symptoms like bloating, irritability, cramping, and hot and cold flashes.
One 2009 study that tracked 900 babies born using frozen eggs found no difference in the rate of birth abnormalities compared with the rate for babies born with fresh eggs. Most other studies have been much smaller, tracking just a handful of babies; they show outcomes similar to babies born using traditional IVF.
The ethical issues in relation to age-related egg freezing identified by Harwood (2015) include commercial exploitation, women feeling pressurised to undertake egg freezing and how egg freezing may have an impact on sex inequality and professional norms.
Emotional side effects
Especially for those freezing their eggs because they are concerned about their ability to have children in the future, the procedure can be a source of anxiety and stress. Not to mention the hormone medication used in egg freezing can cause mood swings and emotional instability.
The chance of serious egg freezing side effects is very low.
Occasionally, egg freezing medications can get the ovaries working too hard, resulting in what we call “ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome” or OHSS. OHSS is associated with swollen, enlarged ovaries and the collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
No. Every month a woman recruits a set number of eggs. During the egg freezing process, this is the cohort of eggs that are harvested. Egg freezing has no impact on the age of menopause.
Egg freezing leads to social and ethical issues… and is “profoundly selfish”. So in case you didn't know, social egg freezing is banned in Singapore. You can only undergo the procedure if you have certain medical reasons, for example, needing chemotherapy which could adversely affect your fertility.
People worry that this puts pressure on women to pay for egg freezing in order to safeguard their careers, instead of improving standards for working mothers. There are also concerns that this cost could worsen unequal access to fertility care between women who can afford it and those who can't.
Our Tennessee egg freezing specialists do not recommend egg freezing for women over the age of 37. Individuals at risk for premature ovarian failure. A woman with a family medical history of early menopause, or the loss of ovarian function before the age of 40, would be a good candidate for egg freezing.
Generally, fertility begins to drop as early as your late 20s or early 30s. It tends to fall more rapidly after age 35 as your egg reserves become even more depleted. Thus, the best age for freezing your eggs likely falls somewhere between 27 and 34.
Fertility starts to decline from the age of thirty and is greatly reduced after forty years of age. Therefore it the optimum age to freeze your eggs in your late twenties. However, freezing eggs at thirty to thirty five is also quite common.
Is There an Ideal Age? Timing matters for egg freezing and a successful future pregnancy. The optimal age range for egg freezing is between ages 30 and 34, according to a 2015 study in the journal Fertility and Sterility®. The study found little added benefit to freezing eggs between ages 25 and 30.
Pros and cons of freezing embryos
The great thing about IVF and genetic testing is that you will have an idea of how many fertilized eggs you have frozen. Egg freezing still has a high success rate of over 90%, but there is no guarantee that all the thawed eggs will successfully fertilize.
While some people do regret egg freezing, the vast majority have no regrets (more on that below). In my conversations with hundreds of women in their 30s and 40s, I have heard more regret from those who did not freeze their eggs than those who did.
In a recently published large study involving 559 consecutive recipients of frozen-thawed donor eggs (2017 – 2019) we have reported a live birth rate of 37.9% per embryo transfer. Estimates of cumulative live birth rates after three embryo transfers exceed 60%. View our donor egg page here.
However, while egg freezing can be done at any age, it's best to start early in one's reproductive life so that more eggs can be frozen before they begin to decline in quality.
Risks from the egg retrieval include pain, infection in the pelvis and ovaries, injury to the bowel, bladder, uterus, ovaries or major blood vessels. Since the procedure is done under ultrasound guidance and the needle can be seen on the ultrasound, the chance of serious problems is extremely small.
You can freeze your eggs for many years until you decide you're ready to use them. The process of using frozen eggs involves thawing the eggs and finishing the IVF process. The thawed eggs will be fertilised either with your partner's sperm or donor sperm to create embryos.
In Australia, donating eggs is an altruistic act and it is illegal to pay a donor to donate. However, you can be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred during the process of donating. Melbourne IVF will reimburse reasonable expenses incurred with a proof of receipt.
COVID increased demand relative to supply and also significantly increased operating costs. There is now a push from major retailers to transition from caged eggs to cage-free eggs which is having a significant impact on caged eggs - which traditionally make up the bulk of egg supply in Australia.
Most of mine didn't survive the thaw because eggs are one cell, and none of them made it into an embryo," she explained. "The freezing of eggs isn't guaranteed. It's a misunderstanding, people do it thinking it's a safety net, and it's not."
If you're freezing your eggs for elective purposes – it's not covered by Medicare. Egg freezing isn't covered by private health insurance, but if your policy covers assisted reproductive services it might cover some costs like hospital fees, doctor or anaesthetist fees and other associated costs.
It might make you gain weight
“You can expect to gain a few pounds of water weight and may need to modify your exercise regimen for 10 days or so, but you won't permanently go up two jean sizes,” explains Jaime Knopman, MD, reproductive endocrinologist at Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine.