Social egg freezing is on the rise – but with more women choosing to freeze eggs to try for a baby in the future, what are your real chances of success?
There has been a lot in the press recently about egg freezing success rates, with some experts saying many clinics ‘exploit’ women by not revealing the true chances of pregnancy.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering egg freezing as a way to preserve your fertility:
Your age matters:One of the most important things that impacts on success rates is the age of the woman at the time her eggs were collected and frozen. Your fertility – the quality of your eggs - declines as you age. So eggs frozen at age 35 will not be as good as eggs frozen at age 30. The earlier you freeze your eggs, the better your chance of success.
Egg freezing techniques:Not all clinics use the same methods to freeze eggs. At Manchester Fertility we use a high-tech, modern method called vitrification. This is a form of ‘fast freezing’ and reduces the formation of ice crystals in the egg, helping to ensure your eggs are viable and can be used in treatment in future.
Treatment methods:When the time comes for you to use your frozen eggs, find out what treatment techniques can help increase your chances. All of our patients can use our time-lapse EmbryoScope technology, which helps to identify the embryos that have fertilised and developed as they should, so only the best embryos with the highest potential for pregnancy are transferred. We also offer pre-cycle endometrial scratching, a specialist treatment that helps make your womb lining receptive to transferred embryos. All patients also have embryos developed to advanced Blastocyst stage, and EmbryoGlue to help the embryo ‘stick’ to the uterus, free of charge.
True success rates:Make sure you ask the clinic for accurate, up to date success rates for women using frozen eggs. This will give you an indication, but don’t assume these success rates will apply to you. Many things affect the chances of successful pregnancy in future using frozen eggs, from the quality and quantity of eggs collected, how many survive the freeze/thaw process, fertilisation of thawed eggs and successful development and implantation.
Open and transparent:Make sure your clinic is honest and transparent with you about your specific chances of success. If your initial tests show you’re able to consider egg freezing, we’ll explain to you very honestly the likely chances of pregnancy using your thawed eggs in future. We will always be very open with you about whether we feel egg freezing is an option for you, based on your individual test results. Egg freezing is a viable option to preserve fertility, but not all women should progress with it and you’ll always be given expert advice by your fertility consultant, so you can make a very well informed choice.
If you have any questions about egg freezing, success rates and fertility preservation, please call our friendly Patient Advisors on 0161 300 2737.
Last updated: 18th December 2020
