Forty years after the birth of Louise Brown, the world’s first test-tube baby, the number of babies born globally as a result of IVF and other advanced fertility treatments is more than 8 million! (IVF is In-Vitro-Fertilisation, an egg is combined with sperm outside the body, in vitro. Egg freezing is a part of IVF.)
Egg Freezing & IVF
The complete process of In-vitro Fertilization
A woman’s chances of conceiving naturally decrease as she ages because the quality and number of eggs decline naturally. Oocyte Cryopreservation (freezing eggs) is a process that allows you to literally freeze your fertility levels in time, giving you the choice of when you’re ready to start a family. Since the label 'experimental' was lifted in 2012 it has been gaining ground. Egg freezing is most effective when you are younger and your eggs are of the highest quality.
Egg Freezing Procedure
How successful is egg freezing?
Possible scenario of failure during IVF
There’s room for failure when you’re freezing eggs. To break it down, the egg must:
- Survive the thawing process
- Successfully fertilize in the lab (from here we need potent sperm!)
- Develop into a healthy embryo in the lab
- Successfully transfer to the woman’s uterus
The general recommendation is that 8 to 15 eggs be frozen for women age 35 or younger.
To get a viable number of eggs, some women choose to undergo multiple rounds of egg freezing. Fertilized embryo can be frozen to increase success rates.
Success rates
When a little frozen egg becomes a baby, there are contributing factors such as doctors, sperm, laboratory researcher, stress, and internal health. Success rates are hard to verify and standardised as well as easy to inflate in some countries. The USA and UK report 30~40% success rates of IVF. Since the speed of technology improvement counts, we suspect it’ll only increase as it has in the past. If current success rates matter the most to you, look at the rates for your age group.
Carefully chosen by FreedomEdge, the government accredited hospitals in Korea report 40~60% depending on age. Hospital must have long track records and massive IVF cases handling per year as hospitals with various case experience will definitely lead to a better outcome.
FreedomEdge will not end with offering a freezing eggs service, but we are dedicated thought leaders on how to use IVF as a pathway to achieving your future dreams.
Cost
The average costs of freezing and storing eggs vary in different countries. A break down of the cost;
- Egg collecting & Freezing: Surgery and freezing process
- Medication: Varies depending on dose of different hormones and ad-hoc pills
- Storage : Varies depending on how many eggs are stored and how long
We will make sure you get a full cost treatment plan from your clinic so you are not caught out by unexpected ‘extras’. FreedomEdge’s service charge doesn’t come from your pocket but from your hospital.
Risk
Freezing egg is mostly very safe. Some may experience side effects from drugs. These are usually mild, but in extreme cases women may develop Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS); the ovaries produce a lot of fluid, which has to be drained from the abdomen with a needle. It occurs in less than 5 percent of patients and it can be managed without difficulties.
