We offered the opportunity for women to ask Shady Grove Fertility physicians their questions about egg freezing. It was great to see that so many women are already educated about egg freezing, but for women considering egg freezing what it boils down to is this: Is egg freezing right for them and are they a good candidate? The good news, it is possible for women to gain insight to their current fertility potential through ovarian reserve testing which empowers them to make the decision if egg freezing is right for them.
The following questions were asked by women about egg freezing:
1. How do I know if I should freeze my eggs?
A woman’s age along with simple ovarian reserve testing evaluates her fertility potential and if egg freezing is a viable option for her. Testing includes a blood draw and intrauterine ultrasound which measures a woman’s ovarian function (her egg quality and quantity). Test results are reviewed with a Shady Grove Fertility Physician equipping women to make the decision if egg freezing is right for her. Request info about egg freezing.
2. Is 39 too late for good quality eggs?
39 is not too late. Generally speaking, Shady Grove Fertility recommends egg freezing up to the age of 40 as the quality and quantity of your eggs may still be strong. For you to make a better decision, ovarian testing (including an ultrasound and a blood test) provides insight to how many eggs you have and the quality of your eggs. These test results would help you determine if egg freezing is a good option for you.
3. What is the cut-off age for egg freezing, or is it based on testing hormone levels, etc?
Both age and ovarian reserve testing are taken into consideration when determining if egg freezing is a good option. Female fertility begins declining in the early 20s but conception rates remain high into a woman’s early 30s. In the mid-30s, the decline accelerates reaching nearly zero pregnancy potential by age 45.
A woman in her early 30s may have poor hormone levels while a woman in her early 40s has great hormone levels. Therefore, even a women ages 40 or 41 may benefit from egg freezing.
4. How many eggs will I need for multiple attempts at future pregnancy?
20 mature eggs provide women with multiple attempts at achieving a pregnancy, and ideally having more than one child. Why 20 eggs? Similar to the fact that it takes couples 5 to 6 months to achieve a pregnancy, not every egg will result in a pregnancy. Frozen eggs are thawed in batches, generally between six – eight at a time, in order to develop a high quality embryo with strong pregnancy potential. Of course, the age you freeze as well as ovarian reserve function, plays into success rates, just as it does for fresh IVF cycles or natural conceptions. Depending on how many eggs from each batch fertilize, you could have multiple attempts at pregnancy with each batch.
5. How many eggs (mature or immature) would you recommend freezing and is the number dependent on age?
At Shady Grove Fertility, we only freeze mature eggs as only mature eggs can lead to a pregnancy. It is recommended to freeze 20 mature eggs – this is the same for women at every age. The benefit of freezing younger is the number of mature eggs retrieved per cycle may be greater and the quality of each egg may be stronger, therefore, needing less cycles to achieve the goal of 20 mature eggs. Some women with good ovarian reserve undergo one cycle retrieving 13-15 mature eggs and are satisfied with that outcome decide not to pursue a second cycle. Again, 20 is the number we recommend to achieve multiple attempts at pregnancy.
6. I’m single, are there financial options available to help ease the financial burden?
Shady Grove Fertility strives to provide competitive pricing, allowing more affordable options. A woman’s fertility potential, which is mostly determined by testing her ovarian reserve function, is evaluated prior to making the decision to freeze. This test, along with an overview of her test results with a Shady Grove Fertility physician, costs just $325. Some women will have partial to full insurance coverage.
If you decide to pursue egg freezing, Shady Grove Fertility offers two programs to make moving forward with treatment more attainable. The first option, Assure Fertility, provides the option to pay one flat fee for multiple cycles (up to four) or until a woman reached the desired number of 20 eggs. The second option is a sliding scale reducing the cost with each cycle.
While we do not offer an in-house installment plan for egg freezing, we do work with an independent financial program (Fertility Finance) which offers medical loans for treatments such as egg freezing. We understand that financially egg freezing can be an expensive procedure for women, but by providing options it is our hope women can find a program that works well for them. Learn more about the egg freezing financial programs.
Next Steps Toward Preserving Your Fertility
- Schedule your ovarian testing and consultation by filling out this form or by calling 877-411-9292.
- Attend SGF’s Live DC Wine and Freeze Seminar: Register Here
- Talk to someone who has frozen her eggs by emailing [email protected]
