Could Freezing Your Eggs Be The Right Fertility Treatment For You?
Egg freezing, otherwise known as Mature Oocyte Cryopreservation, is one of the more advanced modern fertility treatments we offer at our clinic. It was in its experimental phase until January 2013, but today it is a routine procedure we perform at HART Fertility Clinic in North Houston.
Who Should Consider Freezing Their Eggs?
Doctor Ertug Kovanci, M.D., a top Houston infertility specialist, often recommends egg freezing to women who are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy for different cancers, since these treatments can be toxic to their eggs. He has also recommended egg freezing to women suffering from autoimmune diseases, or to our transgender patients. Freezing your eggs is a fantastic way to help preserve your fertility for kids in the future and although both egg and embryo freezing are options we offer at our fertility clinic in The Woodlands and Kingwood, some of our patients may prefer egg freezing over embryo freezing for religious or ethical reasons.
How Does Egg Freezing Work
To freeze your eggs, we have to retrieve them first. We start the process by completing the same hormone-injection process you would go through if you were undergoing IVF treatment in order to stimulate the ovaries. Once the ovaries are stimulated and the eggs have matured, they are extracted through a minor and painless procedure known as a transvaginal ultrasound-guided needle aspiration.
Once the eggs are retrieved, they are immediately frozen. When in experimentation, ice crystals would typically form over the egg and destroy the cell, which was a direct result of the high water content. To avoid this, we must dehydrate the egg and use our rapid freezing technique, which protects the egg and keeps it safe for several years until you are ready to attempt a pregnancy.
When you are ready to try getting pregnant, we will thaw the eggs, carefully inject them with sperm to fertilize them, and then we’ll transfer them to the uterus as embryos.
HART Fertility Specialists in The Woodlands and Kingwood
If you are considering freezing your eggs to preserve your fertility and attempt a pregnancy in the future, then please don't hesitate to book an appointment with us. Our caring specialists will answer any questions you have and ensure we are there for you during the entire process.
