Align-ju FEATURE
Key stages in the egg-freezing process
The precise details and order of the stages in the egg-freezing process may vary slightly from clinic to clinic , but the stages will include pre-testing , legal agreements , fertility treatment , egg collection , and egg freezing and storage .
Step 1 . Fertility and infectious-disease testing
The tests done prior to the start of treatment include ( but are not limited to ):
• Anti-Müllerian hormone ( AMH ) blood testing to assess your egg reserve
• Intravaginal ultrasound to examine your reproductive organs for egg production and pregnancy
• Infectious disease testing to reduce the risk of contaminating other samples .
Step 2 . Legal agreements
Prior to the treatment , a number of legal documents need to be signed , including :
• Confirmation that you understand the treatment plan , including timescales , side effects and risks
• Cost of the treatment plan , including any excluded costs and additional future costs
• Details of storage requirements for the duration of the plan and agreements for future egg use .
Step 3 . Fertility treatment
This is the stage at which the medication component of the treatment will begin , consisting of :
• Follicle-stimulating hormone ( FSH ) to encourage the body to produce mature follicles and eggs
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone ( GnRH ) antagonist medication to stop the body releasing eggs
• Trigger injection to stimulate the final maturation of the oocytes into eggs ready for collection .
Step 4 . Egg collection
Scans will be conducted throughout the treatment to identify the optimal time to collect the eggs .
• The trigger injection is given 36 hours prior to collection .
• Sedation is given at the hospital prior to the collection procedure , which takes 15 – 20 minutes .
• Recovery from the sedative will take 1 – 2 hours , after which someone can take you home .
Step 5 . Egg freezing and storage
• The eggs are counted and examined to see which are mature and considered viable . Those that are semi-viable and viable will be frozen , and the rest of the eggs – for example , immature eggs – are discarded . The frozen eggs will remain in storage in accordance with the terms of your agreement .
Figure 4 . Author ' s adaptation of the egg-freezing process .
Volume 39 ( 1 ) • February 2024
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