How Does Egg Freezing Work?

How Does Egg Freezing Work?

The societal pressure of the "biological clock" can feel like a lot 😮‍💨

But we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Procedures such as egg freezing give us that option to take a step back, breathe and review our reproductive health and make a choice on whether we want to preserve it.

Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, empowers us to do that.

This innovative procedure allows you to preserve your fertility by storing your eggs for future use, offering peace of mind and flexibility when it comes to family planning.

So, wondering how it all actually works? Let’s do a debrief!

Why Consider Egg Freezing?

Egg freezing offers several benefits for individuals who wish to preserve their fertility:

• Delaying Parenthood: Egg freezing provides the option to delay starting a family without compromising future reproductive potential.

• Medical Reasons: If you're facing medical treatments like chemotherapy or radiation that can impact fertility, egg freezing allows you to preserve your eggs before undergoing treatment. Cancer treatments can damage eggs and ovaries, potentially leading to infertility. Egg freezing offers a chance to safeguard your future family-building options.

• Genetic Concerns: A family history of early menopause or genetic conditions shouldn't limit your family planning options. Women with a family history of early menopause may experience a decline in egg quantity and quality at a younger age. Egg freezing allows you to proactively preserve your eggs before this decline occurs. Additionally, genetic screening of frozen eggs can help identify and avoid passing on certain genetic conditions to future offspring.

• Career and Education: Pursuing career advancement or educational goals without the pressure of a biological clock allows individuals to focus on personal and professional growth.

What tests are done before egg freezing?

Before embarking on your egg freezing journey, understanding your ovarian reserve (the number and quality of your remaining eggs) is crucial. Here are some key tests your doctor might recommend:

• AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone) Test: AMH levels offer a good indicator of your remaining egg pool. Generally, lower AMH levels suggest a lower egg reserve. AMH production is relatively stable throughout your menstrual cycle, making it a reliable marker of ovarian function.

• AFC (Antral Follicle Count) Test: Antral follicle count is an ultrasound scan helps visualize the number of small follicles in your ovaries, which can also be indicative of your remaining egg quantity. Follicles are tiny sacs in the ovaries that house developing eggs. A higher AFC typically suggests a larger pool of eggs.

• FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) Test: FSH levels fluctuate throughout your menstrual cycle. However, consistently high FSH levels can be associated with a decline in ovarian reserve.

Arva's at-home fertility test provides a convenient way to gain valuable insights into your ovarian reserve.

Our test measures AMH, along with other crucial hormones like FSH and estradiol. This multi-hormonal evaluation provides a more complete picture of your fertility potential and helps you make informed decisions about egg freezing. By understanding your AMH, FSH, and estradiol levels, you gain a better understanding of your egg quality and ovulation function.

How does egg freezing work at Arva?

At Arva, we believe every woman deserves a chance to build her dream family on her own timeline. Here's how we support you throughout your egg freezing journey:

1. Fertility test and consultation

It all starts with understanding your individual situation. Take our convenient at-home fertility test and schedule a consultation with our experienced gynecologists to discuss your test results, medical history, and egg freezing goals. Our gynecologists will review your test results, discuss your medical history, and answer any questions you may have about egg freezing.

2. Personalized treatment plan

Based on the doctor and clinic you opt, you will be prescribed a customised treatment plan tailored to optimise your ovarian response and maximise egg yield during the stimulation phase.

This plan includes fertility medications to stimulate the follicles in the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs for retrieval. This stimulation occurs for about one and a half to two weeks, with continuous monitoring. Once majority of the follicles reach a size of 16-22mm, a trigger shot of HcG is given 36 hours before egg retrieval to ensure that the eggs are mature at the time of retrieval.

3. Egg retrieval

Gynaecologists perform the egg retrieval procedure using state-of-the-art technology, ensuring a safe and comfortable experience.

You will be under anaesthesia for the egg retrieval procedure. Gynaecologists use a thin needle guided by ultrasound to puncture the follicles and aspirate the eggs via the needle into tubes, where the eggs along with follicular fluid are stored.

4. Denudation

The tubes are then passed onto the lab where the embryologists use petri dishes to check the follicular fluid for the presence of eggs surrounded by cumulus cells. All the tubes are checked accordingly and all the eggs are kept in a separate petri dish until the next procedure.

The next procedure occurs around 2 hours later, known as oocyte denudation. This is when embryologists use a stripper pipette known as denudation pipette to remove the cells surrounding the main egg cell. This is the stage where we clearly get to know the maturity of the egg.

Eggs, on retrieval day, can be either in germinal vesicle stage (baby stage), metaphase one (teenager stage) or metaphase two (adult stage). Metaphase two oocytes are identified with the presence of another adjacent cell in their outer layer, known as the polar body.

Source

Eggs in the GV and MI stage on the day of egg retrieval are not frozen, due to their low success rates after warming.

Eggs in the MII stage are frozen, after denudation.

4. Vitrification & Storage

The retrieved eggs undergo vitrification, a rapid freezing technique that preserves their viability for future use.

Vitrification uses a special cryoprotectant solution and ultra-rapid freezing techniques to solidify the eggs into a glass-like state, preventing ice crystal formation and preserving their quality.

Eggs are deposited in droplets of cryopreservation media, in devices known as cryolocks. Around 2-3 eggs are frozen in one stick. If you have about 6 eggs to freeze post your egg retrieval, the embryologist uses two cryolocks.

Your frozen eggs are then securely stored in cryogenic facilities, which utilizes liquid nitrogen to maintain ultra-low temperatures (-196°C) for long-term storage.

5. Thawing, fertilisation & embryo transfer

When you're ready to build your family, you’d just have to give your clinic a call.

Based on a discussion with the doctor, you may start a stimulation procedure to have your uterus prepped to receive the fertilised egg.

Embryologists thaw the frozen eggs which are then fertilised with sperm (either from your partner or a donor) using a process called intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

The egg is then monitored for fertilisation and embryo growth. The healthiest embryo(s) are then selected for transfer into your uterus during a procedure called embryo transfer.

You may then be called in, two weeks post your embryo transfer to check for your pregnancy via a beta HcG blood test.

Accessible, affordable egg freezing in India with Arva

Egg freezing can be a life-changing option for many women in India. However, cost concerns can sometimes be a barrier. At Arva, we understand this, and we're committed to making egg freezing affordable and accessible.

At Arva, we provide comprehensive support throughout the entire process. Here's how we go about it:

• Dedicated care team: Our support team at Arva and network of experienced gynecologists pan India are here to guide you every step of the way.

• Educational resources: We offer a wealth of educational resources on our platform, covering topics like egg freezing, fertility preservation, and overall reproductive health. This information empowers you to make informed decisions about your fertility journey.

• Network of clinics: Arva connects you with a network of the best fertility clinics in India, ensuring you have access to high-quality care and state-of-the-art facilities.

At Arva, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to build the family of their dreams on their own timeline.

And that’s why we set out on our course of making egg freezing in India, a reality for many of us.

Take control of your fertility, with Arva, today💪🏻