Egg Freezing: Is Costly Oocyte Cryopreservation Worth It? What Every Woman Needs to Know Before Proceeding

Egg freezing or oocyte cryopreservation typically involves ovary stimulation with hormones to facilitate the production of several eggs. According to PBS, once these eggs are produced, they are taken from the ovaries and into the lab, where they get cooled and stored at subzero temperature levels to be thawed later.

Egg Freezing

The procedure is a pure product of the advancement of technology and has served as an option for many women with various struggles and ways of life. Buzzfeed News reports that one particular woman decided to proceed with oocyte cryopreservation and that it was driven by unattached practicality after unsuccessful pregnancy attempts.

Choices involving child-rearing affect individuals with uteruses in various ways. No person has the same story to tell. Buzzfeed News also notes that more individuals opt for egg freezing to preserve and maintain fertility. In fact, a 2021 study in the Fertility and Sterility journal revealed that egg retrievals were 39% higher than in pre-pandemic times.

While this is becoming a viable option for many, there are some things that women must know if egg freezing is one option that they are considering.

How Does Egg Freezing Help?

There are various reasons why women may opt to undergo oocyte cryopreservation. Some may proceed for medical purposes. Cancer therapies, for instance, could be harmful to the ovaries and lead to premature menopause, as noted by PBS.

Mayo Clinic also notes how egg freezing could be an option for those who want to get pregnant later on but are not ready to become pregnant. Unlike embryo cryopreservation, egg freezing does not need sperm because eggs do not undergo fertilization before freezing. However, in the same case as embryo freezing, women may need to take fertility medications to induce ovulation for egg retrieval.

The option could be considered by those dealing with circumstances that could impact fertility, undergoing cancer treatments, dealing with in vitro fertilization, and wishing to preserve younger eggs for the future.

What are the Risks of Oocyte Cryopreservation?

Mayo Clinic notes that some risks come with egg freezing. Such risks involve the conditions linked to fertility drug usage, complications of egg retrieval, and emotion-related risks.

If the frozen eggs get used for childbearing later on, miscarriage risks will likely depend on the woman's age at the time of freezing. Older women have higher rates of miscarriage, mainly because their eggs are also older.

To date, studies have not revealed heightened birth defect risks that can be due to egg freezing. However, there is a need for further research into the safety of oocyte cryopreservation.

Check out more news and information on Fertility in Science Times.