Egg Freezing

Preserve your fertility with egg freezing

I provide personalised, expert advice on fertility preservation with egg freezing in Sydney CBD, Lindfield, and Crows Nest. 

Egg freezing is a well-established option for preserving your fertility, giving you the flexibility to focus on your career, relationships, or personal goals without having to worry about your biological clock.

Benefits of Egg Freezing

Fertility Preservation

Egg freezing while you are in your reproductive prime gives you the best chance of having a healthy baby later in life, even if your natural fertility declines due to age or medical reasons. Egg quality declines with age. Freezing your eggs at a younger age preserves your fertility potential as it was at the time of freezing.

Empowerment & Choice

Egg freezing puts you in control of your reproductive future and allows you to decide when to start a family in your own time. It provides you with the freedom to pursue educational and career goals, travel, personal goals, or space to find the right partner without the added pressure of time.

Medical Considerations

Some medical conditions or treatments, such as cancer treatment or immune therapy, can result in early menopause. Some women require surgery on their ovaries that can reduce their fertility reserve. Many women are unaware that their medical condition can affect their future fertility. Egg freezing beforehand can help you to preserve your ability to have biological children in the future.

Peace of Mind

If you are undecided, or simply not yet ready for motherhood but desire children in the future, egg freezing may help to reduce the anxiety of waiting. It reduces the potential regret of not having been proactive in exploring your options earlier.

Prior to Gender-Affirming Treatment

Freezing your eggs before you undergo gender-affirming treatment can keep your options open for having biological children in the future.

How the egg freezing process works

Egg freezing, medically known as oocyte vitrification or oocyte cryopreservation, is a procedure that involves collecting your eggs, freezing them, and storing them for future use. It’s an option many women consider if they’re not ready for children now but don’t want to lose the opportunity later in life.

Other common reasons you may want to consider egg freezing include if you:

  • Are unsure if you want to have children

  • Are about to start cancer treatment, immune therapy, or any medication that may affect your fertility or bring on early menopause

  • Have a medical condition that can affect your fertility

  • Are a trans-man who wants the option of having biological children in the future

Here’s what the egg freezing process involves:

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  1. Ovarian stimulation:

    In a normal menstrual cycle, your body typically matures and releases just one egg. For the purposes of egg freezing, we use fertility medications to help your ovaries develop multiple  mature eggs in a single cycle. While injectable medications are the standard approach in many fertility clinics, I offer both oral (pill) and injection options. Both methods are equally effective, so you can feel confident choosing the option that suits you best.

  2. Egg collection:

    Once the eggs are ready, I’ll perform a small procedure to collect them using a fine needle and ultrasound. It can be performed under local anaesthetic while you are awake or general anaesthetic, whatever makes you feel most comfortable.

  3. Cryopreservation:

    The retrieved eggs are frozen using a rapid freezing technique called vitrification. This helps to protect the quality of the eggs.

  4. Storage:

    Your frozen eggs are stored in a specialised facility until you are ready to use them. These facilities are often referred to as an egg bank or cryobank. They are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and maintain strict protocols to ensure the security of your eggs.

Is egg freezing for you? Make an informed decision.

If oocyte cryopreservation sounds like it might be a good option for you, contact my practice today to book your consultation. Though egg freezing is a great option for taking control of your reproductive plans, there are some additional considerations to be aware of. These include medical complications (though rare) and costs, especially as there is no Medicare rebate in the case of elective egg freezing. However, I will always thoroughly review your medical history to confirm if there is a valid medical reason for egg freezing that enables you to receive Medicare support. Egg freezing should not be considered a guarantee of a future pregnancy, as success depends on several factors.

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FAQs

  • Once you have had your initial consultation where we discuss your situation and goals with egg freezing, it takes approximately 2 weeks from the ovarian stimulation phase to the egg collection, vitrification, and storage phase.

  • The cost of egg freezing in Sydney depends on your reasons for egg freezing and the fertility clinic you choose. If there’s a medical reason that may affect your future fertility like endometriosis, you will be eligible for a Medicare rebate. During your consultation, I will always explore whether there’s a valid medical indication. This not only helps reduce your out-of-pocket costs, but also gives you the information to make confident, informed decisions about your future reproductive health.

    For elective egg freezing (non-medical or social egg freezing), Medicare and private health insurance doesn’t apply. At Genea, one cycle starts at $7,000 (excluding medications and ongoing storage fees).

  • I recommend 2-3 days off work (including the day of procedure) to rest and recover, even if you don’t have general anaesthesia for your procedure.

  • Cryotechnology has come a long way. The storage facilities at Genea can maintain your frozen eggs for as long as you need without compromising their viability.

  • There are many options for hormones including pills, sprays, and injections. I can tailor your treatment to minimise injections (down to as few as two) without affecting the success of your cycle.

  • You have a choice between general and local anaesthesia for your collection procedure. Both options have pros and cons and it is usually a personal choice.

  • Per egg, your chances of a pregnancy is between 2-8%. Success depends on many things, including your age, fertility factors that can affect egg quality, and the quality of the IVF lab. Although your chances of achieving a pregnancy are better the younger you are when you freeze your eggs, there is never a guarantee of success at any age. I will be able to give you a proper, personalised prediction of success at your consultation.