Social Egg Freezing
To preserve and store a woman’s oocytes for non-medical purposes.
Social Egg Freezing
Social egg freezing, also known as elective egg freezing or oocyte cryopreservation, refers to the process where a woman freezes her eggs for non-medical reasons, typically to preserve fertility for future family planning.
Social egg freezing provides women with the option to extend their fertility window and pursue parenthood when they are ready. It has become increasingly popular as advancements in reproductive technology and changes in societal norms have made family planning more flexible. However, it is essential for women considering egg freezing to understand the process, success rates, and ethical implications to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Social egg freezing provides women with the option to extend their fertility window and pursue parenthood when they are ready. It has become increasingly popular as advancements in reproductive technology and changes in societal norms have made family planning more flexible. However, it is essential for women considering egg freezing to understand the process, success rates, and ethical implications to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Reasons for Social Egg Freezing:
- Many women choose to freeze their eggs to focus on their careers or other personal goals before starting a family.
- Some women may not have found a suitable partner yet and wish to preserve their fertility until they are ready to settle down.
- Women facing medical treatments (like chemotherapy) that may affect fertility may opt for egg freezing to preserve their fertility.
- Women undergo hormonal injections for about 10-14 days to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs.
- Once the eggs reach maturity, they are retrieved through a minor surgical procedure called transvaginal ultrasound aspiration.
- The retrieved eggs are then frozen using a process called vitrification, which preserves them at very low temperatures (-196°C) until they are thawed for use.
- Success rates of egg freezing are higher in younger women (under 35) because their eggs are typically healthier.
- The number of eggs retrieved and frozen can impact the chances of a successful pregnancy later on.
- Eggs can be stored indefinitely, but success rates may vary depending on how long the eggs are stored.
- Frozen eggs can be thawed, fertilized with sperm in vitro (IVF), and transferred to the uterus as embryos for attempts at pregnancy.
- Women may choose to donate their eggs to others or dispose of them if they no longer wish to use them.
