Are you thinking of freezing your eggs?
In oocyte cryopreservation (egg freezing), we retrieve, freeze and store a woman's unfertilized eggs. Our embryologists use both classical and vitrification techniques to accomplish this.
Later, when you want to become pregnant, your eggs are thawed and fertilized with either sperm from your partner or donor sperm. The doctor transfers the resulting embryos in an attempt to establish a pregnancy.
Common reasons for egg freezing include:
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- A woman wants to delay childbearing because of her career or other reasons. Freezing oocytes at an earlier age may offer a chance for a future pregnancy.
- Additionally, women with a family history of early menopause may have an interest in fertility preservation. The likelihood of these patients experiencing premature ovarian failure is very high, and their options for childbearing become limited without the availability of banking their oocytes for future use.
- Women diagnosed with cancer who have not yet begun chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Being diagnosed with cancer is a life-changing event. It does not have to mean the end of fertility.
- Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are toxic for oocytes, leaving few, if any, viable eggs. Egg freezing offers women with cancer the chance to preserve their eggs so they may have children in the future.
- Often there is a window of time before surgery and chemotherapy in which we can stimulate the woman's ovaries to retrieve and preserve the eggs. Alternatively, if there is a male partner, embryos may be frozen.
When the time is appropriate to attempt pregnancy, the woman's uterus is prepared with hormones to accept the thawed and fertilized eggs. We transfer the resultant embryos to the uterus. The woman continues to take hormones until her pregnancy becomes self-sustaining.
Sara's Story
Sara shares how she wouldn't be pregnant without the decision to freeze her eggs years ago!
In June 2008, I was pondering the idea of "egg freezing," I had read magazine articles about this new procedure. There were even lectures in the city where women could learn about the topic, and I attended one to educate myself. I scheduled several consultations, and we decided on Westchester Fertility. The office was warm and inviting. Dr. Blotner and his staff were top-notch, and I was extremely comfortable. I froze my eggs in September of 2008 and was thrilled with my decision. I felt it was my "insurance policy" when the time would come for me to have a baby.
Five years later, in 2013, my husband and I decided to get pregnant using my frozen eggs. They thawed all eight eggs, six of which survived. So began our journey. In November 2013, Dr. Blotner transferred two embryos. After the transfer, I stayed in bed for two days. I was extremely careful not to overexert myself. I then waited two weeks to find out if the embryos implanted. Waiting, of course, was no picnic! On 11/29/13, Dr. Blotner called me and told me that I had a positive pregnancy test!!! My husband and I were thrilled. We are now expecting a baby in Aug of 2014 and couldn't be happier!
Thank you to Dr. Blotner and the Westchester Fertility staff for your hard work and dedication!
