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Increasingly, young women are turning to a procedure that allows them to freeze their eggs while they are fertile and store them until a pregnancy is desired.
“For young women who wish to postpone pregnancy, egg freezing can provide the peace of mind in knowing that when they are ready to start or expand their family, they will have their own eggs available to them,” said Ali Nasseri, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director of The Valley Hospital Fertility Center, located in Paramus, N.J.
Egg freezing follows the same initial steps as an IVF cycle. A woman takes fertility shots to boost her egg production and then has them extracted and frozen. When the woman is ready to become pregnant the frozen eggs are thawed, fertilized, and transferred to the uterus as embryos.
“Egg freezing allows women to store their healthy, unfertilized eggs until a time in the future when they are ready to start a family, diminishing the pressure of the “biological clock,’” said Dehan Chen, M.D., Associate Clinical Director of the Fertility Center. Egg freezing can also be used to preserve fertility in young women diagnosed with cancer. The eggs are harvested and frozen prior to the start of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation.
“It is important that any woman considering egg freezing speak with a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist about their individual situation, estimated rate of future success, and the process involved,” said Keri L. Greenseid, M.D.
To lean more about egg freezing and the comprehensive range of services offered at The Valley Hospital Fertility Center, visit www.ValleyIVF.com.
