Egg Freezing & Fertility Preservation

Fertility preservation is an umbrella terms that incorporates a proactive approach to preserve your reproductive potential for the future.

Whether you’re considering delaying fertility or are facing circumstances that may impair your fertility in the future, fertility preservation offers flexibility and hope for your further fertility journey.

Understanding Fertility Preservation

Fertility preservation is the process of saving or storing eggs, sperm, embryos, or reproductive tissue so that a person can use them to have biological children in the future.

Among the various fertility preservation options, egg freezing is the most common and well known one. Egg freezing is a special interest of Dr Huang’s. Dr Huang has helped numerous of women freeze their eggs, to be available for future use.

Who Should Consider Fertility Preservation?

Women considering delaying childbearing.
Anyone interested in expanding future fertility options, such as improving chances for a second or later subsequent children.
Individuals undergoing medical treatments that could affect their fertility, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Those with a diagnosis that may impact future fertility, including autoimmune diseases or genetic conditions.

Egg Freezing – What’s Involved?

Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) is a process where a woman’s eggs are extracted, frozen, and stored for future use. This option is particularly attractive for women who wish to preserve their fertility until they are ready to start a family.

Process Overview

Initial Consultation:
The process begins with an intial consultation to assess your overall health and , fertility status. Dr Huang also takes the time to understanding your reasons for considering egg freezing, to facilitate your discussion of your expectations. The anticipated chances of pregnancy from your frozen eggs will also be discussed.
Pre Treatment Support and processes:
Genea Melbourne City will contact and prepare you for the egg freezing treatment process. You will have contact with administrative, nursing and counselling staff to provide medication instructions, costing information and what to expect during the egg freezing treatment.
Ovarian Stimulation:
You will be given medication to increase the number of eggs mature during a single menstrual cycle. This is achieved through daily injections of fertility hormones, usually for 10 to 14 days. The hormones used include follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and sometimes also luteinizing hormone (LH), will encourage the ovaries to mature multiple eggs.
Egg Retrieval: Eggs are collected through a minor surgical procedure.
Egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedure performed in the operative theatre at the hospital, under sedation anaesthesia to ensure you are comfortable. A needle is inserted through the vaginal wall, guided by ultrasound, to aspirate the eggs from the follicles in the ovaries. The procedure typically takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Egg Freezing:
Immediately after retrieval, the eggs are identified and assessed for maturity in the lab. Mature eggs are then prepared for freezing through a process called vitrification. Vitrification rapidly cools the eggs to a glass-like state without forming ice crystals, which could damage the cell. The frozen eggs are stored in liquid nitrogen tanks until you are ready to use them.
Future Use
When you are ready to use your frozen eggs, they are thawed, fertilised with sperm in the laboratory through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), and the resulting embryos are transferred to the uterus in hopes of achieving a pregnancy.

Benefits of Egg Freezing

Empowerment: Gives you control over your own fertility decisions.
Flexibility: Allows for delaying pregnancy until the timing is right, without compromising the quality of eggs.
Peace of Mind: Offers hope to those undergoing medical treatments that might affect fertility.

Other Fertility Preservation Options

Sperm Freezing: Ideal for men who wish to preserve their fertility before undergoing medical treatments or for those who face exposure to environmental hazards that might impact sperm quality.
Embryo Freezing: For couples undergoing IVF or wishing to delay fertility, all or extra embryos can be frozen and stored for future pregnancy attempts.
Ovarian Tissue Freezing: An emerging option where ovarian tissue is frozen and can later be reimplanted to restore fertility, though this technique is still considered experimental.

Navigating Your Fertility Preservation Journey

Choosing to pursue fertility preservation is a personal decision, influenced by a variety of factors including health, age, and life circumstances. Consulting a fertility specialist who can provide personalised advice, detailed information on each procedure, and support throughout the decision-making process can offer women who are choosing to delay fertility or are facing circumstances that may impair future fertility hope and flexibility.

Moving Forward with Confidence

Fertility preservation empowers individuals and couples to make life choices regarding fertility on their own timeline, without compromising their fertility potential. By taking steps today, you can preserve your fertility potential and give more options to the future you.

Dr Alice Huang

About

Fertility Medicine

Early Pregnancy

Gynaecology

Treatment and Procedures

Contact

中文

Phone

(03) 9417 1088

Hours

9am ~ 4pm Mon to Friday