Egg Freezing in Virginia

20 Oct Egg Freezing in Virginia

Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) can be a successful way to preserve fertility for women who aren’t able to begin family building during their peak fertility window.

Originally created to preserve fertility for cancer patients or those whose medical diagnosis or proposed treatment threatened their fertility, women all over the world are now taking advantage of egg freezing, or egg banking options to increase their fertility potential.

Whether you are a good candidate for egg freezing depends on multiple factors. If you are considering egg freezing as an option, it’s essential that you schedule a consultation with a fertility center in Virginia to discuss the details and schedule an assessment to determine whether egg freezing is a good option for you.

The Egg Freezing Process

The egg freezing process is very similar to the egg retrieval process individuals and couples experience for IVF.

First, we’ll do a complete fertility evaluation, including ovarian reserve testing, to make sure all is well and that you have an ample supply of eggs. If you are given the green light, you’ll move forward with a fertility medication protocol to simulate egg maturation and release, careful monitoring, and the retrieval of your eggs during an office visit.

After that point, you’ll pay storage fees to keep your eggs frozen and safe until you are ready to proceed with IVF down the road, or you are ready to thaw and discard them in the future.

Read, The Egg Freezing Process for more step-by-step details.

You May Be a Candidate for Egg Freezing If…

Here are situations that indicate you may be a candidate for egg freezing:

Your education/career path means you won’t be starting a family during peak fertility years

One of the main reasons that age matters for fertility is that egg quality diminishes rapidly when women reach their late-30s and into their 40s. Preserving eggs during peak fertility years (aka, “the higher egg quality window”) helps us preserve our patients’ eggs when they’re most viable.

If you already know that your education and career path (or your general life path) will put you closer to 40 than 30 when you’re ready to start a family, freezing and storing eggs gives you more freedom to live the life you want.

You haven’t met the one you want to have children yet

While there are plenty of women opting to have children solo these days, most women still prefer to build their families with a partner. If you are creeping into the mid-30s and Mr. or Mrs. Right hasn’t shown up yet, egg freezing means you’ll be ready to begin your family when s/he does.

When the two of you are ready to start a family, your eggs and his sperm (or a donor’s) will be used to create embryos for IVF.

You are gender fluid and/or considering gender transition

Transgender men (birth gender assigned as female that transition to male) are wise to consider egg freezing before making any permanent hormonal or surgical decisions. You can freeze your eggs as a teen (once you are menstruating/ovulating) and into your early 30s to store until you are ready to start a family.

We highly recommend speaking to a fertility specialist if you are a teen or adult pursuing the gender transition/reassignment process. It allows you the opportunity to have biological children as a transgender male, with a female partner or with the help of a gestational carrier.

Read our post, ART for LGBTQ Families to learn more about your reproductive options.

You want to limit the number of embryos you fertilize and transfer

Sometimes women like to freeze eggs as a way to control the number of fertilized eggs in a pregnancy. For example, we always consider a single, live birth the best outcome of any fertility treatment. Twins, triplets, and other multiple pregnancies are automatically considered high-risk, with a higher chance of miscarriage, birth defects, and complications for mothers and their babies.

To avoid the risk of a multiple pregnancy some women opt to freeze eggs, eliminating the risk of multiples that exist with fertility medications and unassisted reproduction or IUI. Embryologists can fertilize the eggs individually or in small numbers, transferring single embryos for IVF when you’re ready.

Are you considering egg freezing in Virginia? Schedule an egg freezing consultation with us today!