Egg freezing

• General Information

  A female is born with two ovaries containing resting eggs or follicles. By puberty they will have an egg quantity of approx 200,000 though egg quality and quantity will decrease as an individual ages. This can impact a person’s ability to conceive.

• Egg freezing by Vitrification

  Egg freezing represents a way to suspend fertility in time, preventing the decrease in quality and quantity that inevitably comes with age. Vitrification, or flash-freezing, is an incredibly efficient and effective method of freezing eggs that demonstrates strong survival, fertilization, and embryonic development rates after frozen eggs have been thawed.

• When to freeze your eggs

  The most optimal time to freeze eggs is in early to mid-30s while fertility potential is still near its peak. However, at Glasgow Royal Fertility Clinic (GRFC), a patient can also freeze their eggs between the ages of 30 and 40. It's all about finding a balance. Some patients may need to freeze younger, while others have more time. This is all dependent on medical history and ovarian reserve function.

• What to expect

  The average couple takes 5 to 7 months to conceive naturally. At the beginning of each cycle, several follicles containing an egg are present, with only one that will develop, mature, and release through ovulation. Not every egg will result in a pregnancy when couples try to conceive on their own, and the same truth applies when a person chooses to freeze their eggs.

  GRFC recommends patients aged 37 or younger who have excellent ovarian function freeze between 15 to 20 mature eggs. And those over 38, or with diminished ovarian function, freeze 25 to 30 eggs.

• Egg freezing cycle timeline

  After a patient completes ovarian reserve testing and attends consultation with their GRFC physician they will work to determine a timeline of when to start an egg freezing cycle.

• Cycle Day 1

  Upon the start of menstrual cycle, a patient will initiate daily injectable hormone medications. Our goal is to stimulate a larger number of eggs than their body would do naturally in order to freeze. During this time, they will come to Glasgow Royal Fertility Clinic for regular monitoring appointments (6 to 9 monitoring appointments will often apply).

• Trigger Injection

  At the end of the stimulation period, a patient will be given a trigger injection which helps the eggs mature and signals the body to release the eggs.

• Egg Retrieval

  Two days following the trigger injection, a patient will have their egg retrieval at GRFC. This procedure takes up to 25 minutes under anaesthesia. Recovery takes approx. 30 minutes after which a patient is safe to leave.

• Evaluating the Eggs

  Once retrieved, embryologists in the laboratory evaluate the eggs to determine which ones are mature.

• Freezing and Storing the Eggs

  Embryologists will freeze the mature eggs using vitrification and store them.

1. How can I prepare my body for egg freezing?

   The main thing we tell our patients is to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Other factors that can hinder your fertility include: excessive caffeine, smoking, drugs, and alcohol. If you are a current smoker, we recommend stopping at least three months prior to starting a cycle.

2. What are the side effects of hormone medications?

   The side effects of hormone medications are largely dependent on the individual. Some women may experience heightened symptoms similar to what is experienced during premenstrual syndrome (PMS); others may feel increased bloating and some discomfort related to the enlarged ovaries.

3. How many cycles will it take to reach the recommended 15 to 20 or 20 to 30 mature eggs?

   Women who are 37 years or younger and have a normal ovarian reserve will retrieve an average of 9 eggs per cycle. Therefore, it will likely take women two cycles to reach the desired 15 to 20 mature eggs. Statistically, 17% of women will achieve the desired number of eggs with the first cycle, 47 % will achieve this by the second cycle, 25 % will achieve this by the third cycle, and 10% will achieve this by the fourth cycle. On average, women with poor ovarian reserve or women over 37 will need three cycles to achieve 25 eggs.

4. Is there an age limit on egg freezing?

   We do not recommend egg freezing after the age of 41 but the decision needs to be individualized based on many factors.

5. How many eggs do you thaw at a time?

   Our embryologists freeze and thaw eggs in batches typically ranging from 6 to 8 eggs—this increases your chances of developing a high-quality embryo with strong pregnancy potential. If you have previously frozen 20 mature eggs, this should provide you with multiple attempts at achieving a pregnancy, and possibly have even more than one child. Depending on how many eggs from each batch fertilize, you could even have multiple pregnancy attempts possible from a single batch.

6. What are the pregnancy rates using frozen eggs?

   Women who are 37 and younger who freeze the recommended 15 to 20 mature eggs from multiple cycles have a 70 to 80 percent chance of taking home a baby. Women who are 38-40 years old who freeze the recommended 25 to 30 mature eggs have a 65 to 75 percent chance of taking home a baby.

7. What is the process of using frozen eggs?

   We recommend that you first try to conceive on your own, however if you are over 35 and have been trying for 6 months, the first step would be to arrange an appointment with your doctor and your partner would need to complete a full fertility workup. Once you are ready to use your frozen eggs, you would use medications to prepare your uterus for implantation. We would thaw and fertilize your eggs and then transfer an embryo.

8. How do I use donor sperm?

   We work with several certified sperm banks and can help you get started with the process. Once you select a sperm donor, the process is the same preparing your body and eggs for transfer.

Fees

Our full price list can be found here for download. Should you have any questions about the fees, please contact us on 0141 956 0509 and speak to a member of staff.