During a short interview with Dr. Rubina from MyNEWPhilly.com, SGF’s Dr. Isaac Sasson from our Chesterbrook, PA office goes behind the scenes of the IVF laboratory. He takes the opportunity to explain fertility testing prior to fertility treatment or egg freezing.
An egg freezing cycle is not unlike an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle for fertility treatment. Women who freeze eggs complete the in vitro, but pause the fertilization until later, either when they have a partner or donor sperm. The cycle consists of two parts: medications and the egg retrieval.
The Rx: Shady Grove Fertility from MyNEWPhilly on Vimeo.
The Medications Used during an Egg Freezing Cycle
The medications used during both an egg freezing and IVF cycle are hormone injections that replicate the hormones a woman’s body naturally produces each month, but are administered at a higher level. These hormone injections stimulate your ovaries to produce eggs from the existing follicles that would naturally be discarded during a menstrual cycle.
The Egg Retrieval Part of the Egg Freezing Cycle
After 10 to 12 days of medications, the eggs are ready to be retrieved. You will administer the medications at home and throughout those 10 to 12 days you will come to one of SGF’s 25 locations, whichever office is closest to you, for monitoring appointments. The egg retrieval takes place at one of our three surgery centers located in Rockville, MD, Towson, MD, and Chesterbrook, PA.
Once the eggs are retrieved, they are frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored, Frozen eggs remain viable indefinitely.
The Average Cost of Freezing Eggs
The cost to freeze your eggs is dependent on what you are looking for and is based on your individual needs. For women 37 and younger with good ovarian function, we recommend freezing 15 to 20 mature eggs, which can take one to four cycles. Women with poor ovarian function or between the ages of 38 and 40, we recommend freezing 25 to 30 mature eggs, which can take up to five cycles. The number of eggs and number of cycles is completely dependent on how you respond to the hormone medications and your ovarian reserve.
There are several egg freezing financial options at Shady Grove Fertility for women to choose from. For women who want to make sure more chances to achieve the number of recommended eggs, they can elect our Assure Fertility financial program. Assure Fertility at Shady Grove Fertility is a flat-fee option for up to four or five cycles, or until the recommended number of eggs are achieved.
Setting Expectations
You will discuss your goals and expectations with your SGF physician after completing initial ovarian reserve testing. Results from testing—when paired you’re your medical history and goals (number of children you may want)—will help determine which financial route is best for you.
Learn more about the financial programs for both freezing your eggs and returning to use your frozen eggs, including our exclusive Shared Risk 100% Refund Program for Returning Egg Freezing Patients. Or call 1-877-411-9292 to schedule an egg freezing appointment.
