Why freeze eggs: how much does it cost to freeze an egg
Egg freezing is a medical breakthrough that allows women to stop their biological clock. Our expert doctor will tell you who is suitable for this procedure.
The rhythm of life of a modern woman is increasingly forcing the postponement of the birth of a child for later. But did you know that the most favorable age to acquire a toddler is from 20 to 35 years old. After that, the chances of conceiving a baby fall, and at the age of 40 and above, practically units become pregnant and give birth to healthy babies. The decline in reproductive capacity is primarily associated with the aging of the eggs.
Someone will say: “And what am I now, at 35 years old to give up a career and give birth from the first man I come across?” Don’t panic! Modern medicine allows a woman to calmly go about her business and think about offspring when she herself wants it, and not when her biological clock reminds her of it.
– Nowadays it is possible to save a woman’s eggs (oocytes) outside her body. For this, the resulting oocytes are frozen and stored in special containers with liquid nitrogen. The biological material stored in this way can then be used in in vitro fertilization programs, and the probability of pregnancy will correspond to the age at which the oocytes were obtained. In what cases is it recommended to freeze eggs?
If you are considering a treatment that is damaging to the ovaries. For example, chemotherapy, which is used in the fight against cancer. To preserve fertility, a woman may freeze her eggs before chemotherapy. By the way, men also very often deposit sperm before the appropriate treatment, so that in the future there will be no problems with paternity.
Frozen eggs can be stored for a very long time, they do not have an extreme “shelf life”
Before surgery associated with the risk of reducing ovarian tissue: for example, when removing endometriomas and other formations of the ovaries.
It so happens that a woman does not have health problems, but she does not plan to become pregnant in the coming years. And he is very worried that with age it will be difficult or even impossible to become a mother. In this case, it will be right to take care of preserving your reproductive potential for the future.
There are practically no contraindications to egg freezing. Even in patients with cancer, they can stimulate the growth of eggs with their subsequent collection.
I made up my mind! How to proceed?
First of all, see a fertility specialist. He will assess the ovarian reserve, that is, the potential number of eggs that can be obtained and stored. Then you will need to undergo a general clinical examination, which usually takes 1-2 weeks.
– In everyday life, in a woman’s natural menstrual cycle, only 1 follicle grows, containing 1 egg. To create a biological reserve of oocytes, it is necessary to obtain the growth of several follicles and, accordingly, the growth of several oocytes. For this, hormonal stimulation is used, the duration of which is 10-12 days. The eggs are removed from the body during a special procedure called follicular puncture. It is performed using a thin needle inserted into the vagina under ultrasound guidance. The operation is performed under intravenous anesthesia and lasts 10-15 minutes. On the day of puncture, all mature eggs are frozen. The more eggs obtained during the puncture, the greater the supply of material can be created, which means that the chance of a successful pregnancy in the future increases.
Frozen eggs can be stored for a very long time, they do not have an extreme “shelf life”. Such a procedure, together with drugs and examination, costs about 200 rubles – this is the average price, if we analyze the offers of Moscow clinics. The fee for storing cells may already be included in the total cost of the procedure, or may be calculated separately. For example, the cost of annual storage of biological material costs an average of 000 rubles. All details are discussed in the agreement concluded between the clinic and the patient. By the way, a woman has the right to transport eggs frozen in Russia anywhere in the world.