Demystifying the Egg Freezing Journey - Fertile Minds

Are you interested in putting your eggs on ice? Here's what Fertility Specialist Dr Violet Kieu wants you to know.
- About Fertile Minds -
Virtus Health Group are the market leaders in Assisted Reproductive Services, and we would like to share our knowledge to educate and support those looking to grow their families. Our Virtus Health fertility network consists of IVFAustralia, Melbourne IVF, Queensland Fertility Group, and TasIVF.
One in six couples experience trouble conceiving, and we are working towards a future where everyone in the community has the opportunity to create a family.
Our Fertile Minds channel provides fertility related information by our leading minds from across the group. Here you can find the latest fertility facts and discussions to help you understand fertility - from pregnancy planning right through to treatment and technologies.
Want to learn more? Talk to the fertility experts. For general enquiries or to book your first appointment, please call us on 1800 111 483.
Or visit our website:
NSW - www.ivf.com.au/​
VIC - www.mivf.com.au/​
TAS - www.tasivf.com.au/​
QLD - www.qfg.com.au/​
*All opinions expressed on the Fertile Minds channel belong to the individual doctors, not the Virtus Health group.

[@user-ux2sg2ek1y]

Can I just add the importance of the male perspective: having been in a relationship with someone who, for reasons I never understood, didn't freeze her eggs, it's incredibly distressing - for men and women- when you hit 40/41 and you either can't conceive or can't hold a pregnancy - and you realize egg freezing would have given you extra opportunities for a baby. 1) Doing it at 36 before sharper decline in fertility is a very good idea BUT for many women with reasonable fertility even retrievals at 38,9 are very worthwhile. The best clinics have excellent implantation techniques, and give maximum advice on diets for women doing ivf. Remember egg freezing is basically ivf odds at the time you freeze eggs, so: 36 year old eggs have a 40/5 per cent live birth per embryo transfer ; but a 38/9 year old has still around a 30 per cent chance. The best is to bank embryos so my 36 year old girlfriend is doing 2 retrievals and we are creating 5 embryos so if needed we can do ivf. It's not only a great back up plan but can be used for a second or third baby if, as many 37 year old couples will do, you end up with 'only' one child. My 45 year old cousin has a second baby on the way from double egg freeze at 39. I know a 46 year old who had a solo baby with her 36 year old double retrieval - she created 3 embryo's with the donor at 39 which was wise because in case the thaw had failed she could have done double retrieve at 39. She still had 12 eggs spare in case she has met someone else. This sort of foresight is vital. Unfortunately many people don't understand fertility timeline: descent grows 35-39 but it's fairly slow meaning you still have that time to take action. I hear women say 'i didn't freeze at 35/6 so it's too late ' but it's not true as long as you are fairly fertile and don't have underlying complications. Also some people seem to think own egg pregnancies ( natural or ivf) are very possible at 43/4 which is nonsense. Only people who have had multiple births have even a sporting chance of holding a pregnancy in mid forties. Plus people think own egg ivf works at 42,3,4 because celebs pop out babies - it doesn't work and it's either donor eggs ( a miracle in itself) or frozen eggs. The irony is some of the same people who don't freeze eggs in thirties still believe ivf works in your forties: so underlying lesson: please freeze eggs in your 30s, potentially up to 3 times; and bank some embryos if you can by 38/9.