Fertility preservation is becoming a more popular option for women and couples who have decided that they would like to have children but are not ready yet. At Ohio Reproductive Medicine Center, we have had countless successful pregnancies from eggs that have been frozen for years, using fertility preservation methods.

Egg freezing expands reproductive options, preserves young, healthy eggs, and extends childbearing years. Three-quarters of women who freeze their eggs do so because they haven’t found the right partner. The numbers of young women who delay starting a family, in the desire to finish their education or focus on their careers before having children, are increasing.

Freezing eggs removes the pressure of finding the right partner before a certain age. They want a family but only when the time is right for them. They can optimize their chance for conception in the future while they pursue their personal and professional goals.

However, freezing eggs is not a guarantee of a baby, but is fertility insurance. If a woman has her eggs frozen at 25 and doesn’t use them until she is 40, she has the same chance of a successful pregnancy as if she were still 25! This is why it is so beneficial to preserve eggs, at a young age.

Still, there are risks when the decision to use frozen eggs is made. Until the eggs are used, it is not possible to know the outcome. Frozen eggs must survive thawing, fertilization, and implantation to create a baby.

A simple blood test, called the Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) test, is able to assess ovarian function and reserve. It can help to identify women who may be at risk of losing their fertility. It is also used to assess a woman’s likely response to ovarian stimulation as part of an IVF cycle. This test is also predictive of the remaining reproductive lifespan and age at menopause. Again, age is an independent predictor of the reproductive lifespan.

The best time to freeze eggs is in a woman’s early 30s. However, women in their 20s who are certain they want to delay pregnancy can preserve younger eggs which statistically have a higher success rate.

The fertility preservation process starts with a consultation with one of our Ohio Reproductive Medicine fertility experts. During the consultation, blood tests may be conducted along with a pelvic ultrasound to determine the amount of eggs that are in the ovarian reserve.

If a patient decides that fertility preservation is a good fit, the next step is ovarian stimulation. During this process, injectable hormones are used to regulate a woman’s cycle and prepare the eggs for removal. This process safely stimulates the ovaries to ready more eggs into the mature state than would be in a normal cycle.

Once ready, the eggs are harvested and frozen upon removal using vitrification. This process is an ultra-rapid freezing procedure that ensures as many eggs as possible are frozen effectively. We are also able to freeze embryos, which consists of the eggs being fertilized after they are removed.