Why Should I Freeze My Eggs?

Doğurganlığı etkileyen en önemli faktörlerden biri kadın yaşıdır. Yaş ilerledikçe yumurtaların hem miktarı hem de kalitesi azalmaktadır.​​

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Doğum sırasında bir kadının yumurtalıklarda yaklaşık 1-2 milyon yumurta hücresi bulunur ve sonrasında yeni yumurta yapılmaz. Mevcut yumurta sayısı ergenlikten önce bile programlanmış hücre ölümü nedeniyle azalmaya başlar ve ergenlikte ortalama 400.000 yumurtaya kadar geriler. Ergenlikten sonra 35 yaşına kadar azalma çok hızlı olmamasına karşın 35-40 yaşları arasında çok daha hızlı bir şekilde azalmaya devam eder ve sonunda menopozla birlikte tükenir. Sayının azalması ile birlikte yaş ilerledikçe yumurta kalitesi de düşer ve değişiklikler gebe kalamamaya, gebe kalınırsa kromozomal anormalliği olan fetus gelişimine ve/veya oluşan gebeliği düşükle sonuçlanmasına neden olabilir.

 

​Biyolojik olarak doğurganlık 30 yaşından önce en yüksek seviyededir. Ancak, doğru zaman gelene kadar gebeliği ertelemeyi düşündürecek birçok profesyonel, sosyal ve sağlık nedeni ortaya çıkabilir. Çeşitli nedenlerle gebeliğini ertelemek zorunda kalacak olan kadınların yaş ile ortaya çıkabilecek doğurganlık sorunlarının üstesinden gelmek ve doğurganlıklarını korumak için yumurta dondurma gibi bir alternatifleri olduğunu bilmeleri gerekir.

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One of the most important factors affecting fertility is a woman’s age. As age increases, both the quantity and quality of eggs decrease.

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At birth, a woman has approximately 1–2 million egg cells in her ovaries, and no new eggs are produced after that. The number of existing eggs begins to decline even before puberty due to programmed cell death and drops to around 400,000 by puberty. After puberty, the decline is not very rapid until around age 35, but between the ages of 35 and 40, the decrease accelerates and eventually ends with menopause. As the number decreases, egg quality also declines with age. These changes can lead to difficulties in conceiving, the development of fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities if conception occurs, or miscarriages.

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Biologically, fertility is at its peak before the age of 30. However, many professional, social, and health-related reasons may lead a woman to delay pregnancy. Women who need to postpone pregnancy for various reasons should know that egg freezing is an option to preserve their fertility and overcome age-related fertility issues in the future.

What Is the Egg Freezing Process Like?

The main treatment process is similar to the initial phase of IVF/ICSI used in the treatment of infertility, up until the point of fertilization.

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For about 10–12 days, you’ll use daily self-administered injections recommended by your doctor to help multiple eggs mature and develop. During this period, your hormone levels and how your ovaries respond to the medication are monitored through blood tests and ultrasound scans performed several times. Once the right time is determined, a “trigger shot” is administered, and 34–36 hours later, egg retrieval is carried out under sedation. The collected eggs are examined by an embryologist, and those of good quality are frozen the same day. After the freezing process, your eggs are transferred to a storage room with a liquid nitrogen tank where they can be safely preserved for future use.

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Understanding the natural impact of age on future fertility, planned egg freezing can be a safe option to help increase your chances of having biological children later in life.

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Will My Frozen Eggs Guarantee That I Can Have a Baby in the Future?

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Unfortunately, no.

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There is no guarantee that a frozen egg will lead to a baby in the future. The pregnancy rate per frozen egg decreases with age. The chance of an egg resulting in a successful pregnancy depends on the age at the time of freezing and the total number of eggs frozen. Therefore, if an insufficient number of eggs is obtained, it may be beneficial—if possible—to undergo multiple egg retrievals to store more healthy eggs, increasing the chances of future pregnancy attempts.

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To obtain higher-quality and more eggs, the procedure should be done as early as possible.

One concern with egg freezing is that women may postpone their pregnancy plans too far into the future with a false sense of security from having frozen eggs. However, even if frozen eggs from a younger age are used, IVF treatments at advanced ages can still result in lower pregnancy chances. It’s also important to understand that using frozen eggs at a much older age can reduce success rates and carries potential medical risks and psychosocial concerns associated with being an older parent.

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Planned egg freezing is an option to increase the chance of having biological children later in life.

However, freezing your eggs is not a guarantee that you’ll get pregnant or have a child in the future.

Egg freezing is not suitable for everyone.

It generally yields better results in women in their 20s and early 30s and is not usually recommended for women over 40.