Do you dream of having a child, but not right now?
Egg freezing is a modern method that allows you to conceive using your own eggs at a later age, if now doesn’t feel like the right time to start a family.
Egg freezing is currently the most effective and advanced method for preserving a woman’s fertility. Sperm freezing became a routine procedure as early as the 1970s, and embryos have also been frozen for decades. Egg freezing, however, is technically more complex and has therefore developed and been adopted more slowly, as the egg cell is the body’s largest cell and is therefore more sensitive to freezing processes.
Modern freezing methods have made significant strides in recent decades, ensuring that cells retain good quality even after thawing.
Egg freezing may be necessary, for example, before cancer treatment that could impair fertility. Trans men also have the option to freeze their eggs before starting hormone therapy. Today, so-called “social freezing” has become increasingly common, allowing a woman to freeze her eggs without a direct medical indication. For example, if a woman wishes to postpone having children to a later stage of life due to her life situation, relationship, career plans, or other personal reasons.
A woman’s fertility begins to decline as early as age 30, and this decline accelerates further after age 35. Fertility decreases due to both a reduction in the number of eggs and a decline in their quality. There can be significant individual variation in the number of available eggs. The effect of age on egg quality is quite universal among all women. As women age, the risk of miscarriage and fetal chromosomal abnormalities also increases.
The best treatment outcomes for preserving fertility are achieved when eggs are frozen before the age of 30–35. The older a woman is at the time of freezing, the more eggs are needed to achieve a successful pregnancy. The number and quality of eggs collected during the procedure cannot be accurately predicted. Timely and carefully planned treatment is essential for ensuring good chances of conception in the future.
Frozen eggs are stored in a stable and secure environment for years, where they do not age and their quality is preserved.
Eggs have been frozen for medical reasons for many years. For example, in cases of cancer, severe endometriosis, or certain autoimmune diseases that may cause a premature decline in egg reserves.
Preserving fertility may also be necessary to prevent age-related fertility decline. By freezing her eggs, a woman can buy herself time to, for example, find a suitable partner, build a career, or wait for a better time to conceive for some other reason, while preserving the possibility of having her own biological child in the future. The goal is to give her a little more time to start a family.
Did you know that fertility can be monitored?
An ultrasound exam can assess ovarian function and determine the number of small follicles (antral follicles, AFC) in the ovaries, which reflects the egg reserve. A blood test measures AMH hormone levels, which provide a good indication of the size of your egg reserve. An ultrasound also assesses the anatomy and appearance of the uterus and its lining to provide a comprehensive picture of your reproductive health.
When these results are combined with the woman’s age and other medical data, a fairly accurate picture of her current fertility status emerges.
Book an appointment at Ovumia for a fertility checkup—we’re here for you!
The idea of freezing eggs can evoke a range of emotions. For example, a sense of guilt for not being ready to have a child yet, even if there are valid reasons for postponing it. Some women may not yet be sure if they want children at all. Others may have experienced disappointment in finding a partner or simply wish to wait until they reach a suitable and secure stage in life to start a family.
Freezing eggs gives a woman the peace of mind that she has done everything possible to have her own biological children in the future. Come in for a consultation with a fertility specialist to better understand your situation, get answers to your questions, and make informed and confident plans for the future.
Ovumia has been a pioneer in this field with the establishment of its egg bank. We continuously monitor the effectiveness and reliability of the methods used and ensure that the eggs remain high-quality and viable after freezing and thawing.
These skills and experience are crucial when planning fertility preservation treatment for a woman. Are you thinking about freezing your eggs but don’t know where to start?
Call the Ovumia clinic—we’re here to help!
The freezing process begins with a doctor’s appointment. We assess the woman’s ovarian reserve and explain in detail the course of treatment related to egg freezing. During the consultation, we also introduce Estonian legislation related to fertility treatment (including the Artificial Insemination and Embryo Protection Act).
To mature the eggs, the ovaries are stimulated with hormone therapy for an average of 10–14 days. The treatment is similar to that used in in vitro fertilization (IVF), but in egg freezing, fertilization is postponed for the future. Egg retrieval is a procedure lasting about 15–30 minutes that is nothing to be afraid of. After the procedure, you can rest comfortably in a recovery room.
Egg retrieval does not accelerate the onset of menopause. During the procedure, only those eggs that would have been lost during this cycle anyway are matured and retrieved, so a woman’s egg reserve is not depleted as a result of the treatment.
Frozen eggs can be stored in liquid nitrogen for years. If the desire to have a child has become a priority but pregnancy has not occurred despite trying naturally, the woman has the option to use previously frozen eggs. A consultation with a fertility specialist takes place before the eggs are used. During the consultation, the use of frozen eggs is planned, and it is confirmed that there are no medical contraindications to pregnancy. If necessary, additional tests are performed and supportive treatment is prescribed to ensure the procedure is safe and as effective as possible.
The woman can choose whether to use her partner’s sperm, sperm from a non-partner donor, or sperm from an anonymous donor for fertilization. Following counseling, written consent is provided, which can be withdrawn before the procedure begins.
Frozen eggs are thawed and fertilized with the desired sperm. If fertilization is successful, a single developed embryo is transferred to the uterus 2–5 days after fertilization. It is also possible to freeze all high-quality embryos for later use. Embryo transfer can take place either during a natural menstrual cycle after ovulation, or if ovulation does not occur, the uterine lining can be prepared for embryo transfer using hormone therapy.
The entire process is safe, supervised by specialists, and tailored to the patient’s individual needs. The use of frozen eggs allows for having a child at a time that is most suitable for the woman or couple.
Embryo freezing has long been a widely used and extensively studied laboratory technique. Egg freezing is more complex because the egg is larger and its genetic information is more sensitive than that of an embryo. Advances in freezing techniques allow for the routine use of frozen eggs in fertility treatment and ensure high treatment success rates.
We use vitrification, or ultra-rapid freezing, down to –196 °C. Eggs are stored in liquid nitrogen under stable conditions. The length of time the cells are stored at low temperatures does not affect their quality or the success of subsequent treatment.
The outcome depends on the woman’s age at the time of freezing and the number of eggs frozen. For example, a woman aged 30–34 who has frozen approximately 20 eggs has an over 80% chance of conceiving. The older a woman is at the time of freezing, the more eggs may be needed to achieve a successful pregnancy.
Sometimes, multiple retrieval procedures are needed to collect the required number of eggs. The younger the woman, the better the quality and quantity of the eggs.
Ovumia has extensive experience with egg donation, freezing, and thawing, and the results are nearly equivalent to those achieved with fresh eggs. However, it is important to understand that preventive egg freezing does not guarantee pregnancy or the birth of a child, and you should not rely solely on frozen eggs when planning a family.
We assess each woman’s situation on an individual basis. We recommend how many eggs it would be advisable to freeze in order to maximize your chances of pregnancy in the future.
You can be sure that Ovumia’s specialists will help you make well-informed and safe decisions to protect your fertility.
