Egg Freezing Process

Many women now spend their 20s and 30s traveling, continuing their education and building their careers, which often means postponing motherhood. Unfortunately, this works against female biology because fertility decreases as women age. Thankfully, Joshua J. Berger MD, PhD offers egg freezing at our Manhattan Beach fertility clinic. The egg freezing process can allow patients to live their dream life now, and fulfill their dreams of a family later.

Egg freezing puts women in the driver’s seat

Unlike men, who continue to produce sperm throughout their lives, women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. At puberty, the female body typically begins to release an egg each month. As women age, the quality and quantity of their eggs decline. This situation increases the likelihood of having a baby with chromosomal abnormalities or experiencing a miscarriage. It also decreases the odds of conceiving.

Through the egg freezing process, women can freeze their eggs during their peak reproductive years, giving them a better chance of having children in the future.

Advances in technology make egg freezing possible

At one time, fertility doctors could only preserve embryos because female eggs could not survive the required steps to freeze eggs. Thanks to vitrification, a faster egg freezing process, our Manhattan Beach fertility clinic can now preserve eggs. This innovative technique decreases the risk of damaging the eggs during the freezing and thawing procedures, which improves success rates.

Understanding the steps to freeze eggs

Before beginning the egg freezing process, patients will have screening bloodwork and undergo ovarian reserve testing. These exams give Dr. Berger a clear picture of overall ovarian function.

If egg freezing is the best choice for a patient, they will go through the following steps to freeze eggs.

• Berger will prescribe injectable fertility medication to stimulate egg development in the ovaries. Our team will closely monitor the development via ultrasound.
• Once the follicles mature, usually 10 to 14 days later, we will schedule the egg retrieval.
• During the retrieval, an outpatient procedure in the clinic, the patient will receive light sedation. Then, Dr. Berger will use ultrasound guidance to remove the eggs.
• After the procedure, an embryologist will freeze the eggs and store them until the patient is ready to have a baby.

We have helped many patients protect their family-building options using egg freezing. Contact our office for more information on the egg freezing process or to schedule an appointment at our Manhattan Beach fertility clinic.