Virginia Center for Reproductive Medicine Logo

Egg Freezing Updates

Vitrification leads to greater success

More egg freezing updates - More women freezing their eggsWomen who are interested in egg freezing often ask our Virginia fertility specialist if frozen eggs can be successfully fertilized when it is time to build a family. Egg freezing updates show that the answer is yes. Recent research demonstrates that a cryopreservation technique called vitrification can result in IVF success rates similar to those using freshly retrieved eggs.

The process of vitrification involves suspending eggs in a chemical solution and freezing them extremely quickly. Vitrification helps eggs to avoid forming ice crystals that can be damaging to the eggs’ ability to survive the thaw. Ice crystal formation was a problem with traditional slow-freezing processes. Vitrification is just one of many egg freezing updates that give healthy eggs a better chance of becoming healthy babies.

More egg freezing updates – More women freezing their eggs

Egg freezing is appealing to women for many reasons, but among the most important is that the quality of a woman’s eggs deteriorates as she ages. This means that older women who try to become pregnant face higher rates of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities in their babies. This decline in egg quality only accelerates after a woman turns 35.

Using frozen eggs from an earlier time in a woman’s life can give her a greater chance of becoming a mother. Best of all, she does not require a long-term partner or a sperm donor to undergo the egg freezing process.

Women taking advantage of egg freezing updates include:

  • Women who face cancer treatment or other medical procedures that reduce fertility
  • Women who desire to postpone motherhood to pursue career goals
  • Women who want children but are waiting to find the right partner

Welcome news added to this egg freezing update is that the increased demand for egg freezing has led to greater insurance coverage for the process. Connecticut and Rhode Island enacted state laws mandating that insurers cover fertility preservation for patients who must undergo medical treatment that could adversely impact their ability to reproduce. Several high-profile companies, including Google and Facebook, now offer egg freezing coverage as part of their employee insurance packages.

At our Virginia fertility center, we offer a full range of fertility services, including an on-site IVF laboratory. Contact our office to learn more about preserving your fertility through egg freezing.

Like Us on Facebook

Categories


Learn More About Multiple Pregnancy and IVF

ASRM Patient Information Video