Egg Vs. Embryo Freezing For North Houston IVF

Our North Houston fertility clinic, which has two locations that provide Kingwood IVF and The Woodlands IVF treatments, offers multiple options for those hoping to become parents. Many of our patients are specifically curious about egg freezing and embryo freezing and want to know how these treatments compare in order to take the right path for their fertility journey.

Egg Freezing At Our Kingwood Fertility Clinic and The Woodlands Fertility Clinic

Women choose to freeze their eggs for a number of reasons, usually to give them more flexibility in their reproductive options and allow them to begin the North Houston IVF process at a time that best suits their plans. Eggs freezing begins with hormonal injections that stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs at ovulation before we retrieve them through a painless procedure known as transvaginal ultrasound-guided needle aspiration. Upon retrieval, we will immediately dehydrate the eggs–which prevents the formation of ice crystals, protecting them from destruction–and freeze them to be used at a later date. 

Embryo Freezing At Our North Houston Fertility Clinic

Embryo freezing is similar to egg freezing with one key difference. In egg freezing, eggs are retrieved and then frozen until you are ready to get pregnant in the future. When ready, we’ll fertilize the egg through the North Houston IVF process. In the case of embryo freezing, however, we’ll retrieve the eggs and then immediately fertilize them with sperm at Kingwood IVF or The Woodlands IVF clinic, then freeze them once an embryo develops.

Which Method Is Right for Me?

Choosing between egg and embryo freezing is largely based upon preference. Egg freezing can be beneficial, offering flexibility for the following reasons:

• You can wait to begin North Houston IVF until you meet the right partner
• If you’re a single woman, you can always opt for donor sperm when you’re ready
• If you get pregnant before needing your frozen eggs, you can discard them.

Embryo freezing can be unfavorable due to the following limitations:

• Because the egg must be fertilized immediately following retrieval, your preferred sperm source must be available at that time. 
• Discarding embryos can have ethical implications for specific faiths and moral beliefs, making it a difficult or even impossible decision.

Our Kingwood Fertility Clinic and The Woodlands Fertility Clinic Specialists Are Here To Support Your Decision

If you want to discuss which method may be best for you to preserve your fertility, schedule an appointment at one of our North Houston IVF clinics. Regardless of your decision, our IVF doctors can help you understand your options and guide you along your way.