Egg Freezing
What is the Egg Freezing process?
Fertility Assessment
To begin, your first appointment will be with a Fertility GP, who will discuss your options and review your medical history. Your GP will ask you to undergo some blood tests and an ultrasound to check key fertility markers.
Once all your results are back at the clinic, you will be given an appointment with an Adora Fertility Specialist. After discussing treatment options, your Fertility Specialist will tailor a program to ensure the most optimal outcome for you.
It is at this point that your doctor will advise if your cycle is eligible to be covered under Medicare. Medicare eligible patients are usually those who are suffering from serious medical conditions such as severe endometriosis or who may be undergoing chemotherapy.
Medication
During an egg freezing cycle you will need to inject yourself with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), to stimulate the ovaries so that multiple follicles grow. It’s the follicle that contains the egg, however it is important to note that not every follicle will contain an egg.
Other injections used include antagonist or agonist injections and the trigger injection. Antagonist or agonist injections prevent ovulation occurring to protect the eggs from being released from the follicles as they grow.
The trigger injection is given just prior to egg collection to start the process of ovulation and prepare the eggs to be collected during the egg collection procedure or oocyte pick up (OPU).
Injections are given for approximately 10-14 days, however every woman is different and every cycle is different. Your treatment plan will depend on how quickly your follicles grow to be the right size to have mature eggs collected.
Consultation with Fertility Nurse
Following your fertility assessment, you will consult with a Fertility Nurse who will guide you through the entire process of your treatment cycle, including medications and how to administer them.
Treatment Cycle and Monitoring
On day one of your period, you will be asked to contact the nursing team. Your nurse will instruct you to have a blood test. Once your results are back at the clinic and reviewed by your Fertility Specialist, you will receive further information on when and how to use your fertility medications. Your Fertility Specialist will manage your egg freezing cycle and the Adora nursing team will closely monitor your progress under the guidance of your Fertility Specialist.
Egg Retrieval Procedure
When your follicles, the sacs that contain the eggs are a certain size, it indicates that they contain mature eggs which are ready to be collected. It’s then time for your egg retrieval. Your egg retrieval / collection procedure will be performed in a fully-accredited day surgery under the care of a Fertility Specialist. The procedure is performed under light general anaesthetic, so there will be minimal pain or discomfort.
Most women find that they are able to go back to work within a day or two after the procedure.
Vitrification and Cryopreservation
The collected eggs are assessed for their maturity.
The mature eggs are then frozen in our lab by our team of scientists and embryologists. Once they are frozen, they remain in storage until you are ready to use them.