Egg Freezing: Everything You Need to Know

Egg freezing — medically known as oocyte cryopreservation — has transformed the landscape of reproductive medicine. It gives women the ability to preserve their fertility at their current age, storing eggs for potential use years or even decades later. Whether for medical reasons or personal choice, egg freezing is a powerful option that more women are choosing every year.

Why Do Women Choose to Freeze Their Eggs?

Medical reasons: Cancer treatment (chemotherapy/radiotherapy), autoimmune disease treatment, or surgeries that may affect ovarian function
Diminished ovarian reserve: Women with low AMH or declining egg counts who are not yet ready for pregnancy
Personal or professional reasons: Delaying pregnancy while pursuing education, career, or the right partner
No current partner: Single women who wish to preserve future reproductive options
Genetic conditions: Women who carry heritable conditions and want time to consider options like PGT

How Does Egg Freezing Work?

Step 1: Initial Assessment

A baseline ultrasound measures your antral follicle count (AFC) and blood tests assess your ovarian reserve through AMH, FSH, and oestradiol levels. This tells us how many eggs we can expect to retrieve and helps us design your stimulation protocol.

Step 2: Ovarian Stimulation

Daily hormone injections (gonadotropins) are administered for 8–14 days to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs. Your response is monitored with regular ultrasound and blood tests throughout this phase.

Step 3: Trigger Injection & Egg Retrieval

Once follicles reach optimal size, a trigger injection matures the eggs. Retrieval takes place 34–36 hours later under light sedation — a brief, minimally invasive procedure using an ultrasound-guided needle.

Step 4: Vitrification

Retrieved mature eggs are immediately vitrified — ultra-rapidly frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196°C. This prevents ice crystal formation that can damage the egg's delicate structure. Vitrified eggs can remain safely stored for many years.

What Are the Success Rates?

Success rates depend on the woman's age at the time of freezing and the number of eggs stored. Generally:

Women under 35 have the highest egg quality and best outcomes
Survival rate of frozen eggs after thawing: 80–90%+
At IVF CAFE Clinic, our oocyte survival rate after vitrification exceeds 90%
Storing 10–15 mature eggs gives a reasonable chance of achieving one successful pregnancy

How Long Can Eggs Be Stored?

Under current Indian ART regulations, eggs can be stored for up to 10 years, or longer in specific medical circumstances. Our team at IVF CAFE Clinic will keep you informed about storage terms and any regulatory updates that may apply.

When Should You Consider Freezing Your Eggs?

The ideal age for egg freezing is between 25 and 35. Egg quality and quantity naturally decline with age — particularly after 37. While eggs can be frozen later, earlier freezing generally yields better results. If you are considering egg freezing, we recommend scheduling a fertility assessment at IVF CAFE Clinic sooner rather than later.

Our Egg Freezing Programme at IVF CAFE Clinic

Our Chief Embryologist Dr. Ved Prakash has been performing oocyte vitrification since 2008 and has achieved livebirths from eggs stored for up to 8 years. Our closed-system vitrification protocol and state-of-the-art cryostorage facilities ensure the highest possible egg survival rates.

90%+ oocyte survival rate after vitrification
Individual patient cryostorage with secure tracking
Expert counselling before and after the procedure
Seamless transition to IVF/ICSI when you are ready to use your frozen eggs

Ready to take control of your fertility future? Book a fertility assessment at IVF CAFE Clinic today and speak with our specialists about whether egg freezing is right for you.