What happens when I want to use my unfertilized eggs?

At some future date, when a woman wishes to utilize her unfertilized cryopreserved eggs, they are transferred to an IVF facility. Unfertilized eggs do not fertilize naturally, because the freezing process makes them unreceptive to sperm penetration.

Therefore, the direct injection of a single sperm into the egg, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), must be utilized in order to accomplish successful fertilization. Three to four days after fertilization, the embryos are transferred into the uterus. Embryo transfer is a non surgical procedure accomplished with ultrasound guidance, to ensure proper embryo placement in the uterus.

What other issues are involved?

Several important issues must be understood by any woman who contemplates having her unfertilized eggs cryopreserved for future use. Primarily, the younger a woman is when she elects to cryopreserve her eggs, the more likely are the eggs to result in a pregnancy. Secondly, many eggs must be retrieved since many unfertilized eggs may not survive the freezing process, because they are so delicate. If, at any age a woman does not produce a good number of egg follicles with fertility drugs, then cryopreservation is not a worthwhile option. If a woman does have a partner or is willing to use donor sperm to fertilize her eggs, the pregnancy rate with frozen embryos is significantly higher than with unfertilized eggs.

What's the cost of oocyte cryopreservation?

The cost of the procedure exclusive of the initial consultation, sonogram, blood tests and fertility medications is $7,000. Storage fees are currently approximately $300 per year and are paid directly to ReproTech. The cost of oocyte thawing, fertilization, ICSI and transfer at current rates are $4,500. However these costs will vary depending upon factors as when and where the cryopreserved oocytes are thawed, fertilized and transferred.

The risks and complications of this procedure - the use of fertility drugs and the egg retrieval procedure - are the same as those described for the In-Vitro Fertilization procedure. These are described in detail in this website, should you have any questions regarding this procedure.