One of the most important steps in the egg freezing process is vitrification

Fertility Answers offers a wide variety of fertility treatments and services, including egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation. For women who want to postpone motherhood, the procedure allows them to save their young and healthy eggs for later use.

There are multiple steps involved in the egg freezing process, and one of them is vitrification. The reproductive endocrinologists at our Louisiana fertility centers explain what vitrification is and how it is performed.

Vitrification is a more advanced method of egg freezing

The physicians at our Louisiana fertility centers emphasize that egg freezing is a delicate process. Eggs can be easily damaged by the formation of ice crystals. In the past, embryologists managed this problem by using a process known as slow freezing. The slow freezing process involved replacing the water inside of each egg with cryoprotectants, and then gradually freezing the eggs until the temperature reached 350º below zero.

Today, the embryologists at Fertility Answers use a newer and more advanced egg freezing procedure called vitrification. During this ultra-rapid freezing process, embryologists add cryoprotectants and then rapidly cool the eggs. By using this method, all of the liquids in the eggs transform into a solid, glass-like state, which prevents the formation of ice crystals.

It’s important to know the pregnancy rates for frozen egg IVF

Our Louisiana fertility centers offer egg freezing because the procedure can give a woman the freedom to pay less attention to her biological clock and have a baby when she is ready. However, our fertility specialists stress that freezing eggs doesn’t guarantee a pregnancy later.

• About 75% of eggs will be successfully fertilized in the lab.
• Depending on the woman’s age at the time of egg freezing, the chances for getting pregnant are 30% to 60%. Women who freeze their eggs at a younger age have a higher likelihood of having a live birth in the future.

Some patients worry about how freezing and thawing will impact their eggs, but there doesn’t appear to be a need to worry. Approximately 90% of eggs survive the freezing and thawing process. What’s more, existing data suggests that cryopreservation does not increase the risk of chromosomal abnormalities or birth defects.

If you are interested in taking control of your fertility with egg freezing, please contact Fertility Answers to schedule an appointment. Our team of experienced and compassionate reproductive endocrinologists is committed to providing proactive fertility care.