Fertility preservation - egg freezing: patient information

What is involved in egg freezing?

Egg freezing is a method of preserving your fertility by storing your eggs before cancer or other treatment begins. Egg freezing involves a few steps:

• You’ll get hormone injections to encourage your ovaries to produce multiple eggs.
• Your progress will be monitored with ultrasound scans and blood tests.
• When the eggs are mature, they’ll be collected during a short surgical procedure during which you will receive sedation.
• The mature eggs are then frozen and stored.

Are there any side effects?

Young women’s ovaries often respond well to fertility drugs, which can increase the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) although there is a small risk to all. OHSS is a potentially serious reaction to the hormone injections where overstimulated ovaries enlarge and release chemicals that can cause blood vessels to leak.

We minimize this risk by carefully selecting the type and dose of hormone injections. Around one-third of individuals experience mild OHSS, which can usually be managed at home with pain relief and prescribed medication for a few days.

How long will I be in hospital for?

You can normally go home one to two hours after the egg collection procedure. Some light bleeding is normal, and any abdominal discomfort usually subsides within 12 hours with pain relief.