Women are now recognised to be as successful as men in the business world. This trend has seen women getting married and having children later in life. As women age, the chance of getting pregnant decreases, especially after the age of 35. Pregnancy rates decrease rapidly as a woman’s egg reserve ages.
Women who have to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy will also lose their eggs after the treatment, so there has been an upward trend in women freezing their eggs to guarantee their fertility.
Who should consider egg freezing?
- Women who have not considered getting pregnant before the age of 35
- Women who have to postpone child rearing due to their career plans
- Women who have to go through Chemotherapy or other radiation therapies
- Women who have to go through surgical operations related to their ovaries etc.
Egg Freezing Process
The egg freezing process is exactly like that of a classic IVF cycle. The only difference is, the eggs are not fertilised after collection.
Step by step:
- On day 2 of 3 of a women’s menstrual cycle, stimulation injections are started to make the ovaries produce more eggs. These injections can be done in the women’s home country
- After about 10 days of injections, follicles reach maturity and a trigger injection is given to get the eggs ready for collection
- Egg collection takes place approximately 36 hours after the trigger injection. Collection is done under sedation and is a very quick process. Women only need to be in Cyprus for one day when freezing their eggs.
- Mature eggs from the collection are then frozen.