Increasing fertility awareness and the rising trend of delayed parenthood in women have helped spike the demand for egg freezing over the recent years. “From technologies used to success rates, learning the fundamentals before opting for this procedure is an essential key to achieving the desired results”, emphasized Dr. Laura Melado, IVF Specialist, IVI Fertility Clinic Middle East, which runs clinics in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Muscat in Oman.
“Egg freezing is an advancement in the field of Reproductive Medicine that provides many women with an option to pursue motherhood later in life; whatever their reason be. However, we advise those who are thinking of going this route to conduct extensive research and talk to an IVF specialist first so that they can properly plan everything beforehand. Like in everything else, we advocate for education and empowerment in this process too,” further added
Dr. Melado.
She clarified that fertility preservation through egg freezing is not just a choice available to women who wish to postpone their pregnancy. The doctor said egg freezing is also for those who are diagnosed with cancer, autoimmune diseases, are planning to undergo chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants, or are at risk of needing repeated ovarian surgery due to endometriosis and other conditions. Egg freezing, the IVF doctor noted, may help reduce failed In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycles as well.
Under this procedure, the eggs, medically referred to as oocytes, are extracted and frozen at a temperature of -196 degrees Celsius. Freezing the eggs ensures that they remain young and in the best condition. The extracted eggs are then stored away, gradually unfrozen, and fertilized. These fertilized eggs are then transferred back into the uterus as embryos through IVF when the woman and her husband are ready to get pregnant.
The chance of a successful pregnancy in the future is higher if more eggs are produced and extracted. For this purpose, female patients are recommended to undergo subcutaneous injections every day to help stimulate the follicles and produce mature eggs, which are then collected from the woman’s ovary under anesthesia. In case, a woman does not produce many eggs in a cycle, her IVF Specialist at the treating IVF Fertility Center may recommend a second round of retrieval process.
“From ovarian stimulation to egg extraction, the entire procedure may take an average of
13 days. As for the retrieved eggs, they can remain frozen for years. Oocyte survival is traditionally longer, giving women more room to postpone conception with reasonable guarantees of success,” Dr. Melado said.
The doctor also pointed out that egg freezing works best when quality eggs are taken. In such a case, age plays a factor. Therefore, the best time to undergo the procedure is when a woman is in her prime reproductive age and is usually not recommended in women over 38. It’s because, after 38, females undergo genetic and biological changes that impact their capability to produce quality eggs.
“At IVI Fertility Clinic UAE, we make sure that our patients are aware of the entire egg freezing process, including the financial, emotional, and even the social aspects of the procedure. There are many factors that they need to know, which may impact their chances of a successful pregnancy in the future. By educating them, we enable the couples to think things through and arrive at a better and more informed decision,” Dr. Melado concluded.
IVI Fertility is a renowned IVF clinic that runs three state-of-the-art infertility clinics in the Middle East – Fertility clinic Abu Dhabi and Fertility clinic Dubai in UAE as well as Fertility clinic Muscat in Oman. IVI Fertility has the highest success rate in the region of over 70% and hundreds of IVF specialists with years of global experience work together to deliver success for couples.
