The first stages of egg freezing are much like the initial stages of IVF. First, a woman undergoes medical screening and plans her egg freezing cycle.
For egg freezing to lead to a live birth, the egg (or oocyte) should be mature, i.e., after meiosis. In a typical menstrual cycle, one egg will mature about a day before ovulation. To stimulate the ovaries so that more eggs will mature for freezing, a woman has eight to twelve days of hormonal injections, which she can administer herself. At this time, she will also take medications to ensure that she does not ovulate prematurely. A trigger shot is then used to stimulate ovulation when desired. The hormonal injections and medications prior to ovulation can lead to some uncomfortable side effects. Many women find that they can keep up most of their regular schedule during the injection phase, but it can be helpful to arrange for more flexibility and some extra support at this time.
Ovulation is followed by egg retrieval, a short outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia. Recovery can be painful, and doctors generally recommend taking a day or two off after egg retrieval.
Once the eggs have been retrieved, mature eggs undergo vitrification, a flash-freezing technique. The frozen eggs are metabolically inactive and can remain preserved in this state indefinitely.
The number of cycles performed is typically a function of the number of mature eggs retrieved, the woman’s age, and individual financial considerations.
