Unlike sperm which constantly regenerates, people with eggs are born with a set number, and the quantity and quality decrease over time. Thatโs why weโre typically most fertile when weโre younger. But what if youโre not ready to have kids yet? Egg freezing (a.k.a. oocyte cryopreservation) is a method where eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and frozen for use later on. Think of it like setting yourself up as your own egg donor in the future, should you need it due to age, a medical condition or as a result of treatment. Though itโs not a 100-percent guarantee that youโll be able to conceive later on, itโs a way of improving your odds. Want to learn more about this increasingly popular treatment? Read on for a primer on the egg-freezing process, cost and success rates. Why do women and people with eggs freeze their eggs? Thereโs no proven medical intervention to delay ovarian aging. Though not everyoneโs eggs are affected at the same rate, all people with eggs become less fertile over time. Thereโs no guarantee that frozen eggs will lead to a baby, but itโs an option to optimize your chances if youโre hoping to get pregnant with your own eggs down the road. Whatโs the best age to freeze eggs? Your 30s is the most ideal time for egg freezing. If youโre under 30, most clinics will recommend waiting because you may not end up needing your frozen eggs. Those over 40 typically have low success rates, so it may not be recommended as a result. If youโre in your 30s and know youโd like to have a baby but arenโt ready yet, itโs an optimal time for egg freezing. Itโs also an option for those with certain medical conditions or those who are about to undergo treatment that can impact fertility. What supplements should I take before egg freezing? The right nutrients can help make sure your eggs are in tip-top shape by giving those cells fuel (eggs need tons of energy to get their job done), defending against oxidative stress and more. Start taking a supplement about three months before your retrieval so that there's enough time for all key nutrients to reach optimal levels. Get set with a prenatal vitamin loaded with scientifically backed ingredients like NAC,ย CoQ10 andย Trans-Resveratrol to support egg quality. You can find all of these in bioavailable formsโplus more go-tos likeย Folic Acid,ย Selenium andย DHAโin The Power Prenatal for Females.ย ย Whatโs involved in the egg-freezing process? The process is very similar to IVF. There will be initial consultation and testing (bloodwork and ultrasound) to determine your ovarian reserve (egg count). Your doc will then make a stimulation protocol using meds to help you yield more eggs (your doc should provide an estimate of how many to expect based on your ovarian reserve). After taking the meds for about 10 to 14 days, youโll have your egg retrieval. Itโs a short same-day procedure under conscious sedation. The eggs are then frozen until you need themโat which point, theyโll be thawed and fertilized with sperm (donor or partner) to create embryos, which can then be transferred to your uterus or a carrierโs. If you never need the eggs, the lab can discard them or they can be donated to research or others in need. How much does it cost to freeze your eggs? Prices vary greatly depending on your insurance and where you live, but without coverage, you can expect to pay about $200 for the initial workup, $3,000 to $4,000 for meds, $6,000 to $10,000 for the retrieval and freezing, and $250 to $750 per year for storage. Later, youโll need an IVF cycle to fertilize the eggs and transfer the embryos. What are the egg-freezing success rates? Did you know thereโs no widely established egg-scoring system? Unlike with embryos, thereโs no way for the embryologist to tell if eggs are of good, average or poor quality. (Butโfun fact!โour chief medical advisor Dr. Dan Nayot developed VIOLET, the first tool that predicts egg quality using artificial intelligence. This can be something you inquire about when researching clinics.) The lack of centralized system makes success rates hard to determine, but typically, the younger you are and the more eggs that are collected, the more likely the egg freezing will lead to a live birth. There are several online calculators that can help develop an estimate. Though ultimately, you canโt predict how many embryos youโll end up with when your eggs are mixed with sperm (donโt forget: sperm plays a major role, too!).
