Let's FREEZE (the eggs)!

In your 30s but not ready for a baby? Juggling between marriage, career and the age of your ovaries? From Priyanka Chopra, and Tanisha Mukherjee to Ekta Kapoor and many more, people have started taking the biological clock really seriously and chose to do something called EGG FREEZING. Hello Fitness Magazine had a conversation with a renowned gynaecologist Dr Yesha Choksi from Surat who has not limited her education to Surat but has expanded her expertise to Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Throwing more light on something crucial for young parents, Dr Yesha guides our audience with the dos and don'ts of Egg Freezing.

Freeze Them For Future Use, Pretty Cool Huh??

Also called OOCYTE CRYOPRESERVATION, Egg freezing in general is a boon in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technology. Females are born with a definite number of oocytes (read EGGS), which declines as you grow (read AGE). One ovary releases a certain amount in the form of ovulation every month which is fertile and ready to turn into a tiny human being if fertilised with a sperm. During your most fertile age (around 20 to 30 years) you are definitely juggling your career, marriage and sanity. That’s where this cool concept came into existence. And now you can be parents whenever you want to be without worrying about the quality of eggs.

Why Do You Need To Freeze?

Women’s fertility declines with age and the process accelerates after the age of 35. It happens due to a decrease in oocyte quality and follicular number. If older women do conceive, the risk of chromosomal abnormalities and foetal loss is substantially higher. However, the use of eggs stored at a young age will increase reproductive capacity. It will also reduce the risk of foetal loss and genetic abnormalities (such as Down’s syndrome) caused by ageing oocytes. Apart from social reasons, egg freezing is also beneficial for women diagnosed with cancer since chemotherapy and radiotherapy may damage ovaries and it might become difficult to conceive later in life. Women having severe endometriosis can opt for fertility preservation too.

How Does It Work? ( Read How Will A Baby Come From The Frozen Eggs )

Technically, eggs are harvested from a woman's ovaries and are frozen unfertilised and stored for later use. The frozen egg is later combined with sperm in a lab and implanted in the uterus through in-vitro fertilization. And you are good to go! The remaining steps remain the same as a normally conceived pregnancy.

The process of egg freezing

• Before freezing your eggs, you need to have a detailed history, clinical check-up, blood tests & ultrasonography.
• You take injections to stimulate the growth of many eggs in the ovaries from day 2 of the menstrual cycle, for 10-12 days.
• Your eggs are then collected during a procedure called “ovum pick up” requiring general anaesthesia. The retrieved eggs are then frozen and preserved in liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius for 5-10 years.

The patient will come to us whenever she wants to have a child. To achieve a pregnancy, we will thaw the eggs, fertilize them with her partner’s sperm, and transfer them into her uterus. To have a better chance of conceiving in the future, at least 10 to 12 mature (M2) eggs must be frozen. A second attempt might be necessary if the first attempt yielded fewer eggs. For the best chance of success, a woman should freeze her eggs before 35 years.

There is no risk factor in egg freezing and one can resume normal activity within 1-2 days of egg retrieval. It’s a very safe and practically painless procedure. There is a negligible risk of hyperstimulation, infection or bleeding.

Facts about Egg Freezing

• First pregnancy with frozen Oocytes in the world was reported in 1986 by Dr Christopher Chen from Singapore.
• The age at which oocyte freezing was done and the number of eggs retrieved determines its success rate.
• According to current data on Fertility, the survival rate of frozen oocytes is 95%.
• Priyanka Chopra, Tanisha Mukherjee, Ekta Kapoor, Diana Hayden, Mona Singh, and Rakhi Sawant from Bollywood are a few known to have opted for this procedure

Her Word on Egg Freezing

Social egg freezing is considered a breakthrough as it helps to end gender inequality in reproduction. Some women may choose to delay having children for various reasons, such as they haven’t found the right partner, they are advancing in their careers, or they are not ready. This may sometimes result in them being childless. However, egg freezing allows women to have freedom for reproductive choices like when and with whom they wish to have children.

Dr. Yesha Chokshi

Dr. Yesha Chokshi is a skilled obstetrician and gynaecologist with a passion for helping patients achieve optimal reproductive health. She holds an MBBS degree from the New Civil Hospital in Surat and completed her post-graduation with a DNB from GMERS Medical College & Hospital in Ahmedabad. Dr. Chokshi has undergone specialized training in gynaecological endoscopy, reproductive medicine, and aesthetic gynaecology, further expanding her expertise. She currently serves as a consultant at Shree Hospital and Wings IVF in Surat, where she focuses on fertility-enhancing endoscopic surgeries and advanced IVF technologies. With her comprehensive knowledge and compassionate care, Dr. Yesha Chokshi is dedicated to assisting individuals and couples in their journey towards parenthood.