Becoming a mother is one of the most phenomenal events in a woman's life. There is a huge shift in the age of a woman who prefers to opt for motherhood. Previously it was mid 20s and 30s but now most of the women are prioritizing their carrier, dreams and opting late 30s for motherhood. Society may change for patterns in childbirth but the process of fertility is going to be same forever. Most women enter their menopause in the late 40s and early 50s. Women’s fertility declines as she moves towards menopause. Conceiving a child in later years is not that easy. 

Egg freezing

Pregnancies with frozen eggs are not that much successful as compared to the pregnancies of fresh eggs. With increasing age, the quality of eggs declined. There can be a chromosomal abnormality in eggs and women can not ovulate after menopause. If women are not ready to conceive at present time but want a child, the egg freezing technique can be helpful to freeze her eggs for later use. Women who want to undergo this technique should do as early as possible. The probability of childbirth from frozen eggs is only 2 – 12%. Health and age are some of the factors that affect the pregnancy of a woman.

Why egg freezing

Career-oriented women who want to have a good carrier with advanced degrees may freeze their eggs at their young age for a healthy egg later in life. Sometimes due to personal circumstances also, women freeze their eggs for future use. The freezing egg technique is a boon for women who are undergoing treatment for any severe health condition.

Preparations

Generally, a doctor takes a proper medical history to assess the fertility rate, menstrual cycle, and hormone level of women who are adopting this process. Ovaries releases one egg per month. With fewer eggs the chances of successful pregnancy also lower down. In order to increase the egg numbers, the doctor will recommend taking hormone treatment to stimulate the production of eggs. Hormonal injections, birth control pills are given to increase the effectiveness of hormonal cycles. Regular blood test is done to monitor the effects of the hormone. Ultrasound is also needed to detect ovulation and assess egg development.

Egg freezing stops eggs from getting aging. A frozen egg of a young woman has a high chance of fertilization than a fresh egg of an older woman. The time period for which one can freeze an egg is not clear but most of the researches suggests that egg freezing in mid to late 20s for use after 30 years is considerable. The cost of this technique may vary from place to place. It can cost 2.0 – 2.5 lakh on an average for six months incl. fertility drug, hormonal test, medicine, ultrasound. 

 Side effects – After egg retrieval women may feel cramping, bloating, spotting, weight gain, mood swings, headache. In rare cases, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is seen that might trigger blood clots and shortness of breath. 

Success rate depends on 

Age of a woman at the time of freezing 

Age at the time of egg thawing and IVF

Sperm quality

Count of eggs