The Egg Freezing Process
The egg freezing cycle typically takes approximately 8 weeks and you will be monitored closely by Cryos Clinical Counselors every step of the way.
The egg freezing cycle for fertility preservation
Once you have finalized your decision to freeze your eggs, the complete egg freezing cycle takes up to 8 weeks and includes:
2-4 weeks: There are no injections during this time, only birth control pills to temporarily turn off natural hormones (this step may possibly be skipped in urgent cases, such as prior to cancer therapy).
10-14 days: Hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries and develop multiple mature eggs. During this period, you will need to make 5 – 7 visits to the Physician’s office for ultrasounds and bloodwork to monitor your progress.
When the ovarian follicles are determined to have reached appropriate maturity, ovulation is triggered with a specific medication, where timing is vital to success.
Exactly 36 hours after ovulation induction, your eggs are removed with a needle placed through the vagina under ultrasound guidance. This procedure is done under intravenous sedation (IV) and is generally not considered painful, some women are a little sore afterwards. You will not be under general anesthetic.
Following the retrieval, the eggs are evaluated to assure that only mature eggs are frozen in a process called vitrification. Because more eggs are matured during the stimulation process than would be during a regular cycle, some of your retrieved eggs will not be mature and therefore be unsuitable for freezing. This is normal and expected. The mature eggs will then be vitrified. Vitrification is a process in which the eggs are “flash frozen”. Vitrification results in an egg survival rate of over 90%.