Egg Freezing
As women age, the chances of pregnancy decrease due to a decrease in the number and quality of eggs. For this reason, many women have had to plan their lives in a way they did not want in order to have children even though they were not ready.
Worldwide, 1% of women face the risk of early menopause. Factors such as stress, unhealthy diet and smoking trigger this.
Egg freezing is the process of stimulating the ovaries, collecting them under anesthesia, selecting the healthy ones and freezing and storing them.
Especially for women who have to give up their career or education goals or dreams, this situation has been left behind with today’s medical technology.
This practice was first successful in Australia in 1986 and has been practiced in many countries with the birth of healthy babies. Until today, thousands of live births have been realized.
Thanks to this successful egg freezing program, eggs can be stored for many years and can be thawed and used when pregnancy is planned. When egg freezing is performed at a young age, even if the woman’s age advances, the age of the cell remains young since the eggs belong to the year they were frozen. The chances of success in IVF with young eggs will be high.
With the possibility of storing your eggs indefinitely, you may have the chance to become a biological mother in the future, but it is useful to know that you are not guaranteed to have a baby.
Egg freezing does not damage the ovaries and does not affect the number of eggs. Freezing these collected eggs does not harm the cell and therefore the baby to be born.
Egg collection is performed in virgins by entering the ovaries with ultrasound guidance from the abdominal region, and in non-virgin women it is performed vaginally.
The ideal and recommended time for egg freezing is in the 20s, but nowadays women only feel the need to take action when they reach their 30s. This is certainly reflected in the number and quality. On this occasion, the importance of this issue should be well understood and as many people as possible should be made aware of it.
Who can undergo egg freezing?
Those with a family history of early menopause
Those with low egg reserve despite their age and at risk of early menopause
Those who will start chemotherapy or radiotherapy for cancer
Those whose ovaries will be removed for any reason and who want to preserve their fertility by freezing their eggs before surgery
Those who will undergo surgery that will affect reproductive functions
Those who postpone having children for social reasons such as career plans etc.
Those who want to freeze eggs before hormone therapy in transgender individuals
During IVF treatment, the father-to-be cannot come, cannot give sperm, or has undergone a tese operation and no sperm is produced.
Tests Required for Egg Freezing Treatment
- FSH, LH, E2, and AMH (to be done on the 2nd or 3rd day of menstruation)
- HBsAg, Anti-HCV, HIV, VDRL
- Blood Type
- Complete Blood Count
- Fasting Blood Glucose (on an empty stomach)
- APTT PTT, INR
- TSH, T3, T4 (on an empty stomach)
- Prolactin (morning on an empty stomach)
9. USG (Vaginal Ultrasonography) Ultrasound ovaries (ovaries) are evaluated. It is checked whether the egg reserve is suitable for this procedure. In order to have a high chance of success, a target of 10-15 mature eggs is desired. In cases where the egg reserve is low, the pool method is applied. In the pool method, egg collection is usually performed 2-3 times. This method can be time-consuming, costly and challenging.
Egg Freezing Treatment
Treatment is started on the 2nd or 3rd day of the expectant mother’s menstruation. If there are no conditions such as asynchronous egg development, cysts, etc. as a result of the examination, treatment is preferably started by performing hormone tests such as Estradiol-Lh-Progesterone. A treatment protocol is determined according to the age, weight and egg reserve of the expectant mother. The most preferred of these protocols is the antagonist protocol known as the short protocol. In this protocol, hormone injections that stimulate the ovaries are started at the dose deemed appropriate. The duration of the treatment varies from person to person, but it takes a little longer in those with high egg reserve (such as pcos) and is completed in an average of 10-14 times. During this period, vaginal ultrasound is performed every 2-3 days to evaluate the number, size and development rate of the eggs as well as the uterus.
It is also possible to have the examinations for this treatment in your country. If available, you can be under the control of your own doctor or a doctor we will recommend.
When the eggs reach a sufficient number and size (18-20 mm), a hatching injection is given and egg collection is planned after 34-36 hours.
The last needle of the treatment is the hcg needle, known as the hatching needle. The day and time of the injection is very important and affects the success of the treatment. The time difference between countries should also be taken into consideration when determining the time of the injection. In cases where more than 20 follicles develop in the ovaries and the E2 (estrogen) hormone is 3000 or above, a special ligation needle is used to prevent the development of the complication known as OHSS. OHSS (Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome) is a very serious complication in which the ovaries overgrow and fluid outflows out of the veins. In this case, embryos are frozen and transfer is planned in the following months.
Usually the trip to Cyprus is from the morning of the hatching injection, i.e. the day before the egg collection.
Treatment Process of Egg Freezing in Cyprus
0.Day
Since it will be convenient for you to come to Cyprus 1 day before the egg collection process, your travel is planned with the organization carried out by our transportation team. At the end of your journey, which starts under the control of our team, you will be welcomed with our private vehicle when you land at Cyprus Ercan Airport. After your transfer to your preferred hotel in Kyrenia or Nicosia region, you can spend your day resting. During your journey in Cyprus, you will notice that the traffic is on the left lane and the steering wheel is on the right side. For this reason, crossing rules are different and you need to be careful when crossing the road. Our team will call you or send you an information message to remind you about the points you need to pay attention to before the transaction. In particular, it is the most important issue that you should be hungry and thirsty 8 hours before your transaction time so that your transaction is not delayed or canceled. It is usually requested to fast after 00.00 (you should not eat or drink anything, just like fasting).
Day 1
You will be transported from the hotel to our clinic with our private car at the time we tell you. Due to the importance we attach to information security, all transactions are carried out with great care and confidentiality. After the interview with our doctor, you will be examined according to the situation. After the preliminary preparation (insertion of serum, wearing a gown, signing information and consent forms), your egg collection (OPU- oocyte pick up) takes place in 10-15 minutes under anesthesia.
After a certain period of time, the eggs are evaluated and the healthy (M2) eggs are frozen. After the procedure, you will be followed up in our clinic for a while and then discharged. If you wish, you can travel back the same day.
