What is Oocyte Freezing?

Egg freezing, also known as oocyte freezing or oocyte cryopreservation, can be defined as the process of freezing and storing women's eggs so that they can be used in the future and thus preserve the woman's fertility in the future.

Egg freezing, which has been widely mentioned in recent years and discussed both in the media and among friends, can be performed meticulously by us as in many clinics.

Oocyte freezing, which has been reported by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) as a method that can be routinely applied, is a method that can be applied by women who are currently unable or at risk of becoming pregnant or who want to become a mother in the future.

Egg freezing not only preserves the biological structure of the egg cell at the time of the procedure, but also protects the ability of women to become mothers.

Who can undergo the Egg Freezing procedure?

Egg freezing, which has been legally permitted in our country in recent years, has been used first for cancer patients to freeze and store their reproductive cells before starting treatment, and later for women with low egg reserve. In order for this procedure to be legally allowed, it must be determined by examinations that the woman's egg reserve has decreased according to her age and an official report must be issued. A report can also be issued for egg freezing before chemotherapy and radiotherapy in any cancer that develops in women.

How is the egg freezing procedure performed?

The process of egg freezing starts with the examinations to be performed on the person who wants to freeze her eggs after the patient is evaluated. First of all, the egg reserve is evaluated by ultrasound, and if there are any unwanted masses such as cysts or fibroids, they are evaluated. A gynecological examination is performed to assess the presence of infection. Necessary vaginal smear and culture samples are taken and sent to the laboratory. On the second or third day of menstruation, blood tests are taken from the person whose eggs will be frozen and sent to the laboratory. If there is no underlying condition that needs to be treated and all conditions are suitable, the patient is given hormone medication on the 2nd or 3rd day of her menstruation and treatment is started. The drugs used in this treatment are in the form of injections, and the method of use and description of the drugs are given by our training nurse.

Since egg freezing is based on the collection of a large number of eggs, hormone drugs are used for this purpose. For this purpose, the first step is to enlarge the existing egg blueprints with injections. This process consists of injections and ultrasound examinations lasting approximately 7-10 days. As we have already mentioned, the purpose of administering these drugs is to ensure the development of a large number of mature eggs. Antagonist medication is added to the patient to prevent the mature egg(s) from hatching. The patient is closely monitored during this process, which continues for approximately 7-10 days. Then, for the final maturity of the eggs that reach the required number and size, a cracking injection is given and the eggs are collected after 34-36 hours. Egg collection is performed while the patient is asleep under anesthesia. It takes about 10-15 minutes. The patient is discharged after an hour of rest.

On the day of the procedure, the patient is advised not to drive or go to work as he/she is under anesthesia. The next day, he/she can return to his/her normal routine. One hour after the procedure, the patient can start eating and drinking normally.

One day after the procedure and 3 days after the procedure, the patient is informed about the eggs and the number and quality of the eggs to be frozen. Every year, the patient is contacted about whether the freezing period of the frozen eggs will be extended or not.

What are the factors that increase the success of egg freezing?

Just like in IVF treatment, the most important factors affecting the success of egg freezing are the woman's age and egg reserve. The younger the woman's age during the procedure, the more eggs will be collected and the better the quality will be.

How is Egg Freezing performed in virgins?

While married couples usually undergo IVF treatment, a single woman who wants to become a mother in the future can undergo egg freezing. Generally, it is preferable to access the uterus and the eggs to be collected vaginally for the examination to be performed as part of the egg freezing procedure because this way is much easier and does not cause problems.

A virgin woman may refuse to undergo a procedure for egg freezing that is likely to lead to hymen disruption. In such cases, the procedure can be carried out by abdominal ultrasound and egg retrieval, but it should be recognized that this compulsory method is more difficult and potentially problematic.

If the chastity membrane is flexible, egg freezing by vaginal route may not damage the chastity membrane. However, the patient should be informed about all risks before the procedure.

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