As women age, they may feel pressured to start a family to avoid the risk of trouble trying to conceive later on. By egg freezing, women can focus on other areas of their lives without sacrificing the chance to have a family
Egg (oocyte) freezing is a fertility preservation technique where a woman’s eggs are retrieved from her ovary and frozen to be used later. Egg freezing is an option for women who wish to preserve their fertility at an age when their eggs are most viable. We recommend women freeze their eggs in their 20’s or by the age of 35. There is, however, no age limit – it all depends on the woman’s body and if eggs can still be retrieved from her ovaries.
Eggs (oocytes) are the largest cells in the human body, making them susceptible to damage from ice crystal formation upon freezing. This damage can be minimized by use of vitrification method for egg freezing.
What is Vitrification?
Vitrification is a flash eggs freezing method that prevents the formation of ice crystals, which can damage the egg, sperm, embryo or ovarian tissue under other conventional freezing techniques. Vitrification dehydrates the cells prior to egg freezing using protectants to remove as much water as possible (thus preventing harmful ice crystals from forming).
FREEZING EGGS SURVIVAL RATES
The best egg freezing process, vitrification, has been proven to have a 99% survival rate. In comparison to traditional freezing methods, which have around 55% egg survival rates.
This breakthrough in fertility preservation allows women seeking reproductive tissue preservation to bank healthy eggs prior to medical treatments that may affect their fertility.
If you wish to explore an egg freezing option in Garavelas Medical Group to preserve your fertility, we invite you to schedule a consultation with us today.
WHO SHOULD DO EGG FREEZING?
Ideal candidates include:
- Healthy women who want to preserve their fertility.
- Donating eggs to a family member, friend, or a stranger.
- Before any procedure (or surgery) that might kills some eggs (removing an ovarian cyst or even a fibroid)
- Cancer patients who are about to undergo radiation treatment or chemotherapy.
As women age, they may feel pressured to start a family to avoid the risk of trouble trying to conceive. By egg freezing, women can focus on other areas of their lives without sacrificing the chance to have a family. To have the best success at preserving fertility, it is important to find the best egg freezing clinic for you.
Garavelas Medical Group-Iolife IASO is a world-renowned hub of medical expertise, which can make the decision to select the best fertility clinic a difficult one. In order to find the facility that is best equipped to handle your needs and a top fertility specialist look for the following:
- Individualized care – Fertility treatments, including egg freezing, are most effective when they are customized to the specific needs of each patient.
- Standardized approaches to fertility care often provide more fertility medication that is needed which results in an increased number of side effects and discomfort. A high-quality facility will prescribe only the level of medication necessary, both increasing safety and limiting discomfort.
- Advanced techniques – The technology that a fertility center uses can significantly impact the success of fertility preservation. Traditionally, eggs are frozen by a slow dunk method that gradually reduces the temperature of the eggs. Unfortunately, this method of freezing can result in the formation of ice crystals which can be detrimental to eggs. Vitrification is a state-of-the-art method of freezing eggs which virtually eliminates the chance of ice crystal formation. The survival rate for the freezing and thawing process with traditional freezing methods is 55 percent. When vitrification is used, the survival rate for freezing and thawing increases to 98 percent.
- Success rates – Eggs that are frozen for future use will ultimately be transferred back into the woman’s uterus using an IVF protocol. Therefore, it is important to understand a facility’s overall IVF success rate. It is important to select a facility with a track record of success and experience in working with women who are looking to preserve their fertility.
Located in Athens, Garavelas Medical Group provides personalized fertility care. By understanding the unique situation each woman faces, Dr Garavelas is able to create a treatment specifically tailored to her needs. Garavelas Medical team has had great success in the field of fertility preservation and storage of eggs and embryos, making it an option among the best egg freezing clinics in Europe.
