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Egg Freezing

Egg freezing empowers you to take control of your family-building timeline. Preserving your fertility now helps to give you more options later. Whether you're ready to start the freezing process or just want more information, KFI is here to provide the support you need, answer your questions, and help you make an informed decision.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Egg Freezing?

Starting a family is a big decision. Some women know they want a child but need to delay for personal reasons, like career aspirations, relationship building, or travel and education. Freezing your eggs can help give you the time you need and take the pressure off your biological clock.

Egg freezing is also an option for individuals diagnosed with cancer or other health conditions who want to preserve their fertility before starting treatment, or for those in the LGBTQ+ community about to undergo hormone therapy. Egg freezing may be particularly valuable for women with endometriosis, diminished ovarian reserve, or other gynecologic risk factors for future infertility.

The Egg Freezing Process

Egg freezing is a multi-step process similar to in vitro fertilization (IVF), except the eggs are frozen prior to fertilization. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Medical Exam

Before you start the egg freezing process, you’ll meet with one of our fertility specialists to discuss your medical history, as well as undergo blood work and hormone testing. Additionally, we’ll perform a transvaginal ultrasound to conduct an antral follicle count (AFC), which assesses the number of follicles (egg containing cysts) in your ovaries (ovarian reserve).

Your specialist will use this information to estimate how many eggs they expect to retrieve. You'll also discuss a medication protocol to stimulate your ovaries and how to prepare for egg retrieval.

2. Ovarian Stimulation and Monitoring

Depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, you might start the egg retrieval process by taking birth control pills or other hormonal medications to help synchronize your follicles.

Once you’re cleared to begin injections, your specialist will provide detailed instructions for self-administering them. While medication regimens can vary, most people will take follicle-stimulation hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone(LH), which stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs during a cycle.

These injections will be administered over 8 to 12 consecutive days, during which we'll monitor you regularly. Once the follicles reach an appropriate size, you’ll receive a trigger shot to induce the final maturation of your eggs. We know injections can seem scary at first, but our team will make sure your questions are answered and you are comfortable with the use of your medications prior to starting treatment.

3. Egg Retrieval

Using a transvaginal ultrasound probe to guide the process, your fertility specialist will retrieve the mature eggs from the ovaries with a long needle. This is an outpatient procedure, and you’ll be put under sedation so you won’t feel any discomfort. The entire process takes roughly 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

4. Recovery and Freezing

After egg retrieval, you may experience temporary cramping, bloating, constipation, and vaginal spotting. You can ease any discomfort with over-the-counter pain relievers or a heating pad. Let us know if you experience severe pain or heavy bleeding. Complications are rare, so it’s important to contact our office if you have any concerns.

A few hours after egg retrieval, your eggs will be cryopreserved using vitrification. This process involves rapid freezing through liquid nitrogen to minimize the risk of ice crystals forming within the eggs, thus improving survival rates. Storing your eggs might feel stressful, but you can be assured they'll be safe. Our storage facility has around-the-clock monitoring with alarms to ensure equipment is properly functioning and eggs are being safely stored at the right temperature.

What Happens When You Want to Use Your Eggs?

When you’re ready to use your eggs, they will be thawed and fertilized with sperm from your partner or a donor. A resulting embryo will then be inserted into your uterus, hopefully leading to a successful pregnancy. If additional embryos are available, they can be frozen and stored for future use.

Egg Freezing Costs

The cost of egg freezing depends on a handful of factors. It’s important to consider that in addition to paying for the egg retrieval and freezing, you’ll have to pay for storage. Unfortunately, many insurance plans in our area don’t cover this process unless your fertility is in jeopardy due to a health condition such as cancer. At KFI, we understand that finances can play a significant role in fertility care. Our billing specialists will help to determine insurance coverage, answer any questions you have, and walk you through your financing options.