Egg Freezing: A Proven Process for Preserving Your Fertility

If you’re thinking about starting a family but aren’t quite ready yet, you’re not alone. Many women today are choosing to wait for various reasons. Thanks to advancements in egg freezing technology, you now have more options and can start your family when the time is right for you.

Expertise in Rapid Egg Freezing

Egg freezing has been part of fertility treatments for a long time, but now there’s an improved way to do it: egg vitrification, also known as rapid freezing. Our experienced, highly qualified doctors and skillful embryologists are leaders in this field and are proud to have helped with the first successful birth in San Diego using this method. Here’s how it works:

1

Ovarian Stimulation and Monitoring

You’ll self-administer injectable hormonal treatments for about 10 to 14 days to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple mature follicles/eggs.

2

Egg Retrieval

Eggs are retrieved from your ovaries through an ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration. You will receive sedation for this procedure.

3

Egg Freezing (Vitrification)

Your eggs are frozen with vitrification, a fast and effective method of freezing eggs. It involves using a high concentration of cryoprotectant to prevent ice crystal formation and rapidly freezing the eggs to form a glass-like solid. This technique is superior to traditional slow freezing methods and helps to protect the egg during the freezing and thawing process.

4

Egg Storage

Your eggs will remain frozen in a liquid nitrogen storage tank in our embryology laboratory until you’re ready to conceive. The liquid nitrogen tanks are constantly monitored by an alarm system, ensuring their preservation at a temperature of -196 degrees celsius around the clock.

When You’re Ready to Conceive

Whether you plan to conceive within a few years or want to wait longer, the vitrification process preserves your eggs in the same state of health as when they were collected. This provides optimal chances of success for fertilization. Here’s what you can expect:

1

Preparing Your Uterus

Once you’re ready to conceive, you’ll undergo a short course of hormone treatment to prepare your uterus for the upcoming embryo transfer. These hormones prepare your uterine lining for the implantation of your embryo(s). Embryo transfer can also be timed according to your menstrual cycle (natural cycle transfer).

2

Egg Thawing

Our embryologists thaw your eggs by rapidly placing them in a warm solution containing a cryoprotectant, which prevents the formation of ice crystals. The eggs are then washed in a series of solutions to remove the cryoprotectant and placed in a culture medium before the ICSI procedure.

3

Fertilization

Our experienced embryologists fertilize your egg through Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). During this process, the embryologist uses a thin glass pipette to immobilize a single sperm, draws it into the pipette, and then injects it directly into the egg’s cytoplasm. Since the egg is the size of a pinpoint, this sophisticated technique requires a high-powered microscope, tiny glass pipettes, and instruments that translate hand movements into extremely fine movements of the pipettes.

4

Embryo Culture and Transfer

After your embryo(s) grow in the lab for three to five days, we choose one embryo to transfer into your uterus. We specialize in elective single-embryo transfer (eSET) — the process of transferring only one embryo into your uterus — as this method reduces the risk of multiple pregnancy, thus increasing your chance of a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Preserving Fertility Due to Illness

The effects of some illnesses and medical treatments may complicate your ability to conceive. Egg freezing helps to keep your options open so that you may expand your family at a future point. Our team of compassionate doctors will personalize your fertility treatment plan based on your health and timeline.

Stories from Our Patients

We’re honored to help patients achieve their dream of growing their families. Here are a few of their success stories.

Let’s Take the Next Step Together

Our skilled fertility specialists are here to help. Contact us today and let’s discuss the next phase of your fertility journey.