Fertility Preservation

What is egg retrieval? 

• Egg retrieval is surgery to collect eggs from ovaries so you can:
• Freeze them for the future
• Fertilize them in a lab to freeze for the future
• Fertilize them in a lab to use for IVF

For retrieval, your ovaries are stimulated in advance to make more than one egg in a cycle. An anesthesiologist sedates you, and another doctor uses ultrasound to find and collect the eggs. This step can be uncomfortable. Most patients return to their normal daily routine within a day or two. 

Preserving your fertility with egg freezing 

There are many reasons a person may want to preserve their fertility by freezing their eggs. Whether you’re concerned about your age, focusing on other areas of your life such as your career or need treatment for a health condition, fertility preservation through egg freezing is a way to keep your options open for the future. 

What is egg freezing? 

Egg freezing — also called oocyte or egg cryopreservation — is a way to save eggs now for the future. The process includes:

• About five office visits
• Daily injections (shots)
• Minor outpatient surgery (same-day procedure)

There are no guarantees that preserved eggs will be viable and become embryos when the time comes to fertilize them. Our team offers the most successful technique available, called egg vitrification or “rapid freezing”, to give you the best possible chance at healthy eggs in the future. 

Why would someone freeze their eggs? 

There are many personal reasons someone might freeze their eggs. Some common reasons include:

• Serious illness and treatment
• Education and career goals
• Declining fertility due to age 

What is egg vitrification or “rapid freezing”? 

After stimulating your ovaries and collecting your eggs, your doctor will place your eggs in a cryoprotectant — a chemical that protects the eggs from the effects of freezing. This “vitrification solution” helps to keep ice crystals from forming.  

How are eggs frozen? 

• After eight to 12 days of hormone shots that encourage your ovaries to produce more than one mature egg at a time, your eggs will be collected while you’re sedated. 

• These eggs will be placed in the vitrification solution to protect them. 

• The eggs will be put in liquid nitrogen and stored in a tank at minus 196 degrees Celsius. 

How are eggs thawed and fertilized? 

• When you’re ready to use your frozen eggs, they’re thawed to room temperature in the vitrification solution. 
• Each egg is fertilized in the lab with one sperm per egg. 
• Embryos grow in the lab for three to five days before one or more are chosen to transfer into your uterus. 
• Extra embryos not used at this time can be frozen for future use.