If you are one of those who plan to have children in the future but are not ready right now, for whatever reason… we will introduce you to “Egg Freezing” to prepare in advance in case one day you want to have children, so you don’t have to worry about difficulties in having children due to the decrease in the quantity and quality of eggs.
Getting to Know “Egg Freezing”
Egg preservation or egg freezing has been continuously developed for several decades. In the past, egg freezing was used for cancer patients who wanted to preserve their eggs before undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, which could destroy the eggs in the ovaries. If these patients married late, they would lose the chance to have children, so egg freezing was introduced for this group. Later, it was used for other purposes because nowadays most people focus on building a stable family before deciding to have children. By that time, age increases, and the quantity and quality of eggs decrease, making it difficult to conceive. Therefore, egg freezing was developed for future use.
“Egg Freezing” Helps Preserve Quality Eggs Early On
Egg freezing, or Egg Freezing, is an innovation that preserves eggs in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -195 degrees Celsius, which stops all cellular activity. Simply put, frozen eggs do not undergo any changes, allowing the egg cells to maintain their original quality as if time has stopped.
Egg Preservation Procedure
The egg preservation process involves stimulating the ovaries by daily hormone injections for about 10 days. The growth of the eggs is monitored through ultrasound and hormone tests periodically. When the eggs reach the desired size, an injection called HCG is given to mature the eggs. After 36 hours of the HCG injection, the eggs are retrieved through the vagina. Then, mature eggs are selected and frozen.
Effectiveness of Egg Preservation
The quality of preserved eggs mainly depends on age. Freezing eggs at a younger age is more beneficial because the eggs are of better quality. For example, if 10 eggs are frozen, it is unlikely that all 10 will survive thawing. Usually, 7 or 8 eggs survive, depending on the quality before freezing. After survival, the eggs are fertilized with sperm using ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), and the fertilization rate is similar to that of fresh eggs. The quality remains the same, and children born from frozen eggs do not have abnormalities different from those born through regular IVF.
How Long Can Eggs Be Frozen?
Normally, cells stored in liquid nitrogen at -195 degrees Celsius stop all activity and do not change. Therefore, it can be said that cells can last indefinitely. However, there are no reports yet on how long eggs can be stored and still result in pregnancy. The latest data only reports storage of about 4-5 years, with thawed eggs fertilized with sperm, embryos implanted into the uterus, and resulting in normal pregnancy and childbirth.
Side Effects and Complications of Egg Preservation?
Ovarian stimulation may carry risks because hormone administration can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. There is also a risk of bleeding during egg retrieval. However, if all steps are done carefully and appropriate medications are chosen, the risk of complications is reduced.
How to Prepare if You Want to “Freeze Eggs”
Preparation is not difficult; just take care of your physical and mental health, eat a balanced diet with all five food groups, increase vegetables, fruits, and protein, and exercise regularly. Additionally, reducing stress will benefit both egg quality and ovarian response when starting the egg preservation process. Many may think egg freezing is unnecessary, but remember that people marry later nowadays, and increased age leads to difficulty in having children.
“Egg Freezing” is therefore a good and safe option for preserving eggs in case you want to have children in the future.
