The Egg Freezing Process

Making the decision to freeze your eggs is a big decision that can set your future self up for success; but we know that it isn’t easy. That’s why here at Dallas Fort-Worth Fertility Associates, we want to make you feel as comfortable as possible throughout this entire process. Our physicians and clinical team strive to provide all of our patients with as much information as possible to help you understand your individualized treatment plan and predicted outcomes. And that starts on day one.

When you enter our clinic for your first consultation with any of our board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, we take the time to get to know you. We discuss your medical history and, most importantly, your goals. We perform hormone testing and an ultrasound to better understand your body and what we can expect should you decide to go through the process.

Then, your doctor makes a plan with you and together, you decide if now is the time to start. We’ll give you an overview of the medications you will receive, teach you how to use injections, and make a schedule.

Steps in the Egg Freezing Process

Treatment plans typically last four to six weeks and begin with cycle preparation and monitoring. You’ll then stimulate your follicles through the use of injections and will be carefully monitored by your clinical team at morning monitoring appointments. Triggering the egg release is done with a shot at home 36 hours before retrieval. Egg retrieval will occur in our office with help from an ultrasound. (Patients are lightly sedated during this process and typically experience some slight discomforting and minor bleeding following the appointment.) These eggs are then passed on to our lab for analysis. Eggs that are mature and deemed high quality are moved on to vitrification, or the freezing process. We carefully monitor your frozen eggs in storage tanks until you are ready to get pregnant.

What Happens When I'm Ready to Use My Frozen Eggs?

So, you’ve done it. You’ve finished your Master’s degree. You’ve found the right partner. You’ve been offered your dream position at your job. It’s time to grow your family.

When you’ve decided you are ready, call your Dallas-Fort Worth Fertility Associates location and schedule a consultation. If you have a male partner, he will need to get a consultation and testing done as well. If you are single or a same-sex female couple, we will walk you through the process of selecting donor sperm from a trusted cryobank.

Working with your physician, we will map out an IVF treatment plan specifically for you. When the thawing day comes, the collected sperm (either donor or from your partner) will be delivered to the lab and combined with your eggs, forming embryos. These embryos will then be tested and those with the best quality will be either used for the transfer or can be frozen for future use. When you’ve decided you are ready, call your Dallas-Fort Worth Fertility Associates location and schedule a consultation. If you have a male partner, he will need to get a consultation and testing done as well. If you are single or a same-sex female couple, we will walk you through the process of selecting donor sperm from a trusted cryobank.

Working with your physician, we will map out an IVF treatment plan specifically for you. When the thawing day comes, the collected sperm (either donor or from your partner) will be delivered to the lab and combined with your eggs, forming embryos. These embryos will then be tested and those with the best quality will be either used for the transfer or can be frozen for future use.

Related

• Egg Freezing
  • Should You Freeze Your Eggs?
  • The Egg Freezing Process
  • Medical Fertility Preservation

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