Egg Freezing (Vitrification)

Vitrification or process of egg freezing is a relatively new development in the field of infertility treatments. This method has proven to improve the chances of survival of eggs during the freezing-thaw process and hence enhances the rate of success in conception.

In order to booth the production of eggs, fertility drugs are utilized to stimulate ovaries to produce follicles. The development of follicles is carefully watched and when these follicles are large enough, they are emptied to collect eggs thus produced by them. These eggs are collected after giving patient sedation or general anesthetic.

Frozen eggs are stored in liquid nitrogen.

Am I suitable for egg freezing?

Storage and freezing eggs is particularly suitable for you, if you have any of the following conditions:

• Patients undergoing a medical condition that affects their fertility like cancer or chemotherapy treatment.
• You are concerned about your infertility and wish to postpone pregnancy for some time and not sure about seeking natural conception in the later years. Freezing your eggs can help you conceive in the later years.
• Patients planning to undergo gender change procedure.
• Risk of injury or death to the patient.

What is the process of freezing the eggs?

Procedure of egg freezing takes place as follows:

• During the process of consultation, your clinician will explain the process. You can discuss your concerns and seek answers to your queries from your doctor.
• Screening will be carried out for any infectious diseases.
• Written consent is obtained for storage of your eggs.
• Using conventional In-Vitro Fertilization process, eggs are collected.
• Freezing solution, also known as cryoprotectant, is added to the eggs for freezing them.
• The eggs are either slowly cooled or frozen and then stored in tanks of liquid nitrogen.

What happens if I wish to use my stored eggs?

You can use different treatment options to make use of your stored eggs for conception. The treatment options for use of stored eggs include In-Vitro Fertilization, ICSI or In Vitro maturation. The choice of treatment to use the stored eggs largely depends on medical condition of the patient.