6 myths about freezing eggs

International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in May this year published an essay on the theme of raising public awareness of the cryopreservation of oocytes procedure. According to the authors, women should find out in advance how much information about how to preserve their fertility, avoid complications during pregnancy, as well as have the opportunity to build a successful career without regard to the need to have children as soon as possible. We decided to find out whether egg freezing is really as dangerous as one might think.

Myth 1. The theory has not been studied

This misconception comes from the fact that until recently all over the world any girl who decided to freeze egg, signed a document stating that the procedure is experimental. Thus ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and even cryopreservation individually carried out for decades.

experimental label was dropped in 2013 after the American Association of Reproductive Medicine published a statement saying that the scientific evidence is enough, and freezing eggs - is a safe and effective procedure.

Myth 2. It is dangerous to

Evidence that ovarian stimulation and oocyte freezing damages the health of the woman or potential progeny, are still not found. After extensive research, there have been no changes to any risk of birth defects, chromosomal abnormalities or pregnancy complications. There is also no evidence that stimulation of the ovaries increases the risk of cancer in women.

Usually, side effects are not observed at all and usually minor. About 10% of women who use drugs to stimulate, experiencing headaches, mood swings, insomnia, hot and cold flashes, breast tenderness, bloating - all the same as that of menstruation. And ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which so often scare the media, found less than 1% of women.

Myth 3. It is painful and long

The injections needed to begin the process, start to take over the 8-11 days prior to an invasive procedure. The drug is injected into the fat tissue with a fine needle, so it is not very painful, and usually women can do them yourself. it is recommended to undergo regular medical examination and ultrasound throughout the entire period, so that he could control how the body reacts to the drug.

When the training is over, the doctor performs invasive procedure for a long needle, drawing the egg. No cuts and stitches. In some cases, a mild anesthetic, called Twilight, and the procedure itself takes about 15 minutes. Overall, the entire process from preparation until the frost takes about two weeks.

Myth 4. Freezing reduces the chance of having a self

Since the freezing of ova includes direct their removal from the body, some people mistakenly believe that the process reduces the number of cells in the body, and achieve pregnancy naturally becomes more difficult. In fact, in the ovulation period, we lose a few eggs, one ripe and several more who are not ready to open up. Doctors believe that the offensive 20 years we lose a hundred eggs every month. And during the process of preparation of drugs ensure the maturation of multiple eggs - those that have previously been immature.

Myth 5. It is better fresh than frozen

Although it seems counter-intuitive, but the eggs frozen at the age of 30 years and then thawed, have a higher chance of a healthy pregnancy, than those that are matured in 40 years without any stimulation. The younger the egg - the healthier the embryo, cryopreservation, and it has no effect.

Myth 6. It's only for the rich

The cost of cryopreservation of eggs varies greatly depending on the clinic and the field. In Moscow, the average cost of the procedure from 50 to 100 thousand rubles, in other regions of up to 150 thousand rubles, including the stage of preparation. egg storage is paid separately, from 1 to 5000 per year. The larger the egg or embryo cryopreservation is exposed and stored in the clinic, the higher the cost. Usually the price is indicated for 1-4 units, each subsequent unit is paid in addition.

In recent years, Russia has also started to appear as voluntary health insurance, covering the cost of such procedures. In European countries, such as Britain, egg freezing for women funded by such health indicators, such as the upcoming cancer treatment.

Have you ever thought about freezing eggs?