Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation) in IVF

In IVF, several steps must go right for a successful outcome. One critical process is egg freezing (also called oocyte cryopreservation), a fertility preservation technique that allows women to store their eggs for future use.

It enables women who are not ready for pregnancy due to personal, professional, or medical reasons to preserve their fertility until the time is right.

What Is Egg Freezing?

Egg freezing involves harvesting eggs from a woman’s ovaries, freezing them in an unfertilized state, and storing them for later use. Unlike embryo freezing, egg freezing does not require sperm and keeps the eggs unfertilized until needed.

Why Do People Choose Egg Freezing?

Reasons include:

• Medical conditions (e.g., cancer, autoimmune diseases)
• Radiation or chemotherapy risks
• Delaying marriage or pregnancy for personal or career reasons
• Desire to wait until mentally and emotionally ready for parenthood

How the Egg Freezing Process Works

The process involves three major steps:

1. Ovarian Stimulation: Synthetic hormones like gonadotropins are administered to stimulate multiple eggs while preventing premature ovulation.
2. Egg Retrieval: After 10–14 days, eggs are collected via transvaginal ultrasound aspiration — a needle guided by ultrasound removes eggs from the follicles. This is a short day-care procedure under anesthesia.
3. Egg Freezing: Eggs are rapidly cooled through a method called vitrification, and stored for future use.

Prior to the process, patients undergo screening for infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis, and an ovarian reserve test to evaluate egg quality and ovarian response.

Is Egg Freezing Right for You?

This decision is highly personal. While it offers reproductive flexibility, success depends on age at the time of freezing. Success rates for implantation range between 30–60%, with higher chances for younger women.