Egg freezing, otherwise known as Mature Oocyte Cryopreservation, is one of the more advanced modern fertility treatments we offer at our clinic. It was still experimental until early 2013, but since then it has become a very common procedure we perform in addition to North Houston IVF at HART Fertility Clinic in The Woodlands and Kingwood.
How Does Egg Freezing Work
Egg freezing has 3 main steps:
- Taking fertility medication that stimulates egg production
- Egg Retrieval
- Egg freezing and storage
Egg Production
Everyone’s body is different, so our North Houston fertility clinic’s specialists will design a specific medication program that is suitable for your body, which will enable us to obtain the most eggs possible. More eggs to freeze means more chances of successful fertilization. The medication is the same type that we use for patients planning to undergo North Houston IVF treatment.
Egg Retrieval
When it’s time to retrieve your eggs, we will sedate you prior so you don’t feel any pain or discomfort. The process takes less than 30 minutes and you can go about most of your daily routine afterward. You may experience minor cramping after the procedure, but this should resolve by the next day.
Kingwood Fertility Clinic Egg Freezing And Storing
Once your eggs are retrieved, it’s time to freeze them immediately. Once frozen, we have to store them carefully because when egg freezing was still in its experimental phase, the eggs would typically ice over and destroy the cell. At our North Houston fertility clinic in Kingwood and The Woodlands, we dehydrate the egg and use our rapid freezing technique. This protects the egg and keeps it safe for years until you're ready to get pregnant.
Who Is A Good Candidate For Egg Freezing At Our Kingwood Fertility Clinic?
Whether you come to our fertility clinic in Kingwood or in The Woodlands, a good candidate for egg freezing is someone who is between their 20’s and their 30’s, but those of who are in their 30’s may benefit the most. However, this is merely based on the possibility that someone who freezes their eggs in their 20’s may not end up needing to use them.
Fertility Specialists In Kingwood And The Woodlands
If you are considering freezing your eggs as a way to preserve your fertility and plan for a future pregnancy, then please request an appointment so that our caring specialists can address any questions or concerns you may have.
When it comes to difficulties carrying a baby, a surrogate is often considered to be the best option. However, there are two types of surrogates: the traditional surrogate or IVF with a gestational surrogate. Here is how they compare to one another and why we prefer to offer IVF with a gestational surrogate.
Traditional Surrogate For Infertility
With traditional surrogacy, the surrogate’s eggs are used, which means the surrogate is legally the biological mother of the baby it carries. This can, unfortunately, create blurred lines and a gray area between the surrogate and the intended parents, which is why this option for fertility treatment has decreased in popularity.
North Houston IVF With A Gestational Carrier
Utilizing a surrogate as a gestational carrier, on the other hand, means the intended mother’s eggs are used. Alternatively, if the intended mother’s eggs aren’t successfully fertilized, an egg donor may also be used. In both cases, the surrogate has no biological ties to the baby it carries and this is reflected in the baby's birth certificate.
How IVF With A Gestational Carrier Works At Our Kingwood And The Woodlands Fertility Clinics
For women who don't have a functioning uterus, are dealing with medical issues that make sustaining a pregnancy difficult, could be in serious danger if they become pregnant, or for women with no uterus, Kingwood and The Woodlands IVF with a gestational carrier may be a viable solution.
Our North Houston fertility specialists will perform the IVF procedure in order to retrieve the intended mother's or donor’s eggs. The eggs will then be fertilized with the intended father's sperm.
Following this, we will wait until the embryo has reached the blastocyst (day 5 embryo) stage. The blastocyst will then undergo pre-implantation genetic testing, which allows us to determine which embryos are genetically normal and have the highest chances of resulting in a successful birth. A single embryo will then be selected to be transferred into the gestational carrier’s uterus.
Our North Houston IVF Specialists Will Assist You In Finding A Good Gestational Carrier To Help You Achieve Your Dreams Of Parenthood
Having a baby is a blessing and we are proud to support couples through their IVF Journey. Our North Houston IVF lab boasts rates of genetically normal embryos that have exceeded the national average for all U.S IVF labs that utilize the same PGT laboratory, thanks to our exceptional IVF lab conditions. If you're considering IVF with a surrogate, please request an appointment so we can begin the process.
HART Fertility Clinic, which serves both the Kingwood and The Woodlands, is renowned for its North Houston IVF treatment. Our advanced, state-of-the-art IVF laboratory is the very reason for our above-national-average normal and healthy embryo rates. Because of this, many couples hoping to become parents turn to our North Houston IVF specialists for guidance and help. Here is part 3 of our North Houston IVF FAQ.
If I Undergo IVF, When Are Frozen Embryos Transferred?
Freezing your embryos is an alternative to freezing your eggs. Transferring the frozen embryo can take place during your natural cycle or a controlled cycle, depending on your body and it is painless. If your cycle has always been regular and predictable, then transferring during your natural cycle will be fairly easy and effective because it already prepares your uterus for pregnancy. On the other hand, if your cycle is rather erratic and unpredictable, our IVF specialists will put you on hormonal fertility medication (estrogen and progesterone) to prepare the uterus for pregnancy.
If I’m An Out-Of-Town Patient, Can I Travel Home Right After Kingwood or The Woodlands IVF?
In IVF, the actual implantation is a fairly straightforward and quick process that is relatively pain-free. Most patients that come from out of town can expect to travel back home the day after or, in some cases, the day of. You may continue with your daily life as you normally would. About 10 days later, you will get some blood work done to test for pregnancy.
Does North Houston IVF Use Up All My Eggs?
Women with normal cycles who don’t need fertility treatments have hundreds of thousands of eggs around the time at which puberty takes place. Every month, one particular egg is selected to become fertilized while others undergo a natural death called atresia. If it isn’t fertilized, menstruation takes place. When women undergo IVF at our fertility clinic in The Woodlands or Kingwood, we give them egg-stimulating injections. This actually gives you more eggs and also prevents other eggs from undergoing atresia.
Visit Our North Houston IVF Clinic in Kingwood and The Woodlands
Although we are best-known for IVF, we offer several other fertility treatments that each yield great success. If you are considering undergoing fertility treatment, please request an appointment so we can determine which treatment works best for you and your partner. We look forward to supporting you on the wonderful journey of pregnancy and IVF.
For years there has been speculation that birth control pills and other methods of hormonal birth control harm a woman’s fertility to a point where extended use makes them less fertile. In reality, there is no science that backs this up. In fact, pregnancy rates among women who have used hormonal contraception are very similar to women who never have, suggesting that hormonal contraceptives have no effect on fertility. Instead, hormonal contraceptives–such as the pill, IUD, implant, etc–have some health benefits that can actually decrease the complications that lead to infertility.
Health Benefits Of Hormonal Birth Control
Numerous studies have shown that women who utilize hormonal contraceptives reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by nearly 50%. Today, these contraceptives are also commonly used as a preventative treatment for both ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Birth control doesn’t just help prevent certain cancers, though. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is an ovulation disorder that affects 1 in 10 women. It causes extremely irregular periods and infrequent ovulation, which makes a woman less fertile. Hormonal birth control is typically the first treatment gynecologists and our North Houston fertility specialists recommend for PCOS patients because it regulates the cycle and corrects the hormonal imbalances associated with PCOS, thus promoting fertility.
At our North Houston IVF clinic in Kingwood and The Woodlands, we see several patients who suffer from endometriosis, which is an extremely painful disorder that causes tissues that line the uterus to grow outside of it. This often causes infertility, but hormonal contraceptives are an effective treatment for these symptoms and helps prevent this disorder.
Are You Having A Hard Time Getting Pregnant? Speak With Our North Houston Fertility Specialists
We understand that many couples do not wish to conceive until later on in their relationship, which is why many women rely on hormonal contraception. If you were taking birth control and stopped when you and your partner decided to conceive, and if you two haven’t succeeded yet, then we recommend you request an appointment with our North Houston fertility doctors. Since it likely isn’t your birth control causing these challenges, one or both of you may be facing infertility caused by other conditions. Because infertility affects both men and women, it’s best to come in together. We will begin by understanding your concerns and getting information about your sexual and medical histories. We will then proceed with fertility testing to determine which of our many fertility therapies (such as North Houston IVF or IUI, among others) may help you start the beautiful family you dream of having.
Infertility affects both men and women. When a couple wanting to be parents is battling with infertility, being united is a must in order to remain strong and overcome this trying time. Here are some potential causes of infertility in women and appropriate treatments at our IVF clinic in The Woodlands and Kingwood that may help.
Causes of Infertility in Women
Women may be infertile due to a number of reasons, such as an unhealthy diet, and medical conditions.
Unhealthy Diet
A diet that lacks in folic acid, iron, and vitamin B-12 and is heavy in artificial ingredients may affect a woman’s fertility because it doesn’t have enough of the nutrients necessary for her to sustain a pregnancy. If she is vegan, for example, then she should speak with her primary healthcare physician about possible supplements. On the other hand, if her diet leads to an eating disorder, this may also cause long-term problems with her fertility.
Medical Conditions That May Cause Infertility in Women
Medical conditions, such as ovulation disorders or problems with the uterus and/or fallopian tubes also cause women to be infertile.
Ovulation Disorders
Ovulation disorders are the most common cause of infertility and may occur due to premature ovarian failure, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Hyperprolactinemia, and chemotherapy, among others. Many of the patients we see at our North Houston fertility clinic in Kingwood and The Woodlands have one of these disorders, and approximately 1 in 10 women are affected by PCOS.
Problems With the Uterus/Fallopian Tubes
Problems with the uterus or fallopian tubes may be caused by past pelvic surgeries, endometriosis, or by submucosal fibroids, which are non-cancerous tumors that are found in the muscular wall of the uterus.
Treatments for Female Infertility at our North Houston Fertility Clinic
At HART Fertility in The Woodlands and Kingwood, we offer IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) and other fertility treatments that help couples conceive and give birth to a healthy baby. If you would like to find out if North Houston IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies are right for you, then please request an appointment with our fertility doctors at our Kingwood fertility clinic or our fertility clinic in The Woodlands.
