Fertility Preservation

Today, for a variety of reasons, women are waiting to pursue having a family; however, the reality of one’s biological clock still remains. Fertility rates are 20-25% each month for women in their late teens to late-twenties. However, by the age of 35, a woman’s chances of pregnancy are reduced to about 15% each month. By age 40, the likelihood of achieving a pregnancy is only 5-10% each month and by age 43, the likelihood of pregnancy is less than 5% each month.

Planned oocyte cryopreservation, also known as “egg freezing,” involves the freezing of a woman’s eggs with the goal of preserving future fertility. This procedure was considered experimental until 2012, and has since been approved by The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) as a viable treatment option. For example, if a woman freezes her eggs at the age of 35, but delays using these eggs until she is in her 40s, she will have the same fertility outcome as that of a 35 year-old.

The process will begin with a consultation with one of our fertility experts, followed by diagnostic testing with an ultrasound and bloodwork. Once the labs and necessary testing are completed, a follow-up appointment will be scheduled to form an individualized treatment plan. Our IVF coordinators will schedule an orientation to review your stimulation protocol and provide medication teaching.

Throughout the IVF stimulation, you will have approximately 4 to 6 early morning appointments for ultrasounds and lab work over a two-week period to monitor your response to the medications. Once appropriate, you will be scheduled for an egg retrieval, wherein light anesthesia will be administered in our office in order to retrieve your eggs. The eggs will then be cryopreserved in our specialized IVF lab and stored for future use.

One of our financial counselors would be happy to provide more information on your fertility benefits and financing options if you are interested in preserving your future fertility via egg freezing.