Questions To Ask About Egg Freezing

Because egg freezing technology is both new and in demand, many facilities are offering the service. We hope that EFC will be a part of your fertility preservation plan, but even if you do not choose us, we want to help you make an informed decision. We offer you this list of questions, and we recommend you discuss these questions with any provider you might be considering. The answers will give you the information you need to compare egg freezing programs. You will find our responses below.

Is the doctor an expert in egg freezing?

Short answer: Since egg freezing is a new technology and rapidly changing, it should only be offered by experts in the field, specifically doctors who have published on the topic and are actively involved in egg freezing research and advancements. Your physician should be able to discuss ongoing clinical trials at his/her center, provide copies of published works verifying his/her successes and demonstrate national and international recognition in the field (for example, awards or appointments to government committees on the topic.)

Dr. Jain is an internationally recognized expert in the field of egg freezing, and his pregnancy rates are among the highest in the country. His twenty-five years of academic experience include a decade as a decorated professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California. He is one of only four reproductive endocrinologists to be named to the National Scientific Advisory Council of Fertility Preservation by the National Institutes of Health. In 2006, Dr. Jain’s work earned him the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society’s top research prize, and in October of that same year, he was invited by the highly regarded journal, Fertility and Sterility, to write a comprehensive review article on egg freezing. This paper is frequently quoted as the standard reference article for the field. Additional articles are already published or are in press.

As medical director of the Lyan Institute of Fertility Research, Dr. Jain is working to continually improve both the safety and the success of egg freezing technology through ongoing molecular research and clinical trials. A main research focus at the institute is the advancement of fertility preservation methods for women who are newly diagnosed with cancer.

EFC is not associated with an agency therefore Dr. Jain provides all medical care including cycle monitoring; egg retrieval; freezing and storage of eggs; and ultimately, the transfer of embryos. Everything takes place at our state-of-the-art facility in Santa Monica.

For patients living outside of the Los Angeles area, we understand that time and cost can be real concerns. It may be helpful to know that Dr. Jain has a great deal of experience working with patients from all over the world, and that you can be monitored locally and travel to Los Angeles for the remainder of the procedure.

What are the pregnancy and birth rates at your facility? How many eggs are thawed per pregnancy attempt? Have these rates been published in scientific journals?

Short answer: The most accurate way to judge success is to determine the chance of having a live baby each time a batch of frozen eggs are thawed, fertilized and transferred to the uterus as embryos. This is called the live birth rate per embryo transfer. Based on the live birth rate, your doctor should also be able to provide you the average of number of eggs thawed per pregnancy, so that you know how many to preserve. Your doctor should be able to provide these statistics based on published work from his/her own center.

Our success rates are among the highest published rates in the country with over thirty babies born to date. Dr. Jain has the highest pregnancy rate from vitrified eggs in the world, 67% per embryo transfer. The overall rates of miscarriage, birth defects and chromosomal defects for babies born from frozen eggs are no higher than the rates seen with natural pregnancies in the general population.

Dr. Jain would like you to be aware that quoted pregnancy rates can be artificially bolstered if a facility thaws a high number of eggs, uses eggs from young donors or transfers an excessive number of embryos into the uterus. Additionally, hypothetical pregnancy rates or rates based on historic or foreign experience can also be misleading. As a patient, you have the right to ask for supporting data. All of Dr. Jain’s data is based on his original research performed in the United States.

Is egg freezing safe?

Short answer: To date, there does not appear to be any increased risk from frozen eggs. However, egg freezing is still considered experimental as there have been only approximately 1000 babies born from frozen eggs. Dr. Jain is also a member of the Hope Registry, a national organization that monitors the health of babies born from frozen eggs.

Over 1000 babies have been born worldwide from frozen eggs, with approximately five percent of that total attributable to patients in our clinical practice. It is significant to note, too, that the overall rates of miscarriage, birth defects and chromosomal defects for babies born from frozen eggs are no higher than the rates seen with natural pregnancies in the general population.

Many women have asked if egg freezing brings on early menopause, or if the procedure taps into future egg stores. We have seen absolutely no evidence that the procedure impacts menopause in any way. Women are born with a set number of eggs (approximately 2 million), and each month, several hundred from this pool begin to develop. Ultimately, one egg is released and the others lost. The eggs that are retrieved for egg freezing include a portion of those eggs that would be lost that month anyway. In other words, egg freezing does not take away eggs you might have had in the future, it only makes the eggs you do have today available to you at a later time.

Because egg freezing is new and considered experimental by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, all egg freezing activities at EFC and its affiliates are conducted under the auspices of a research ethics board to assure patient safety. In addition, all work from EFC and its affiliates is submitted for academic peer-review and for publication in scientific journals.

What methods of egg freezing do you use at your facility? Do you have closed liquid nitrogen containers?

Short answer: Whatever method is used by the doctor, slow freeze or vitrification, should have been tested and proven to work in that center. For vitrification, it is also important to ask whether the method relies on an open system (eggs are in direct contact with liquid nitrogen) or a closed system (eggs are not in direct contact with liquid nitrogen). There is potential for viral contamination with open systems and such systems have restrictions in certain countries.

Eggs can be frozen using either the much-studied slow-freeze method, or a newer flash-freezing process known as vitrification. In our laboratory, we use the most current versions of both methods. Vitrification requires that the eggs be plunged into tanks of liquid nitrogen, and you should be aware that tanks can harbor viruses. However, there is no risk of viral contamination at EFC, as our vitrification system uses closed containers.

Is egg freezing expensive? Are all of the fees disclosed?

Short answer: Ask for a summary of all anticipated costs including medication. You should also ask for information regarding future storage and embryo transfer costs. For comparison, when all costs are included, the average is around $14,000 in the U.S. for the initial egg freezing cycle.

At EFC, monitoring, egg retrieval, freezing and the first year of storage are all included for the price of $12,750. There are no hidden costs. Fees for medication, additional storage and embryo transfer are not included in the $12,750 quote, and will be discussed at the time of consultation. You will be given a complete breakdown of all procedural costs involved. We also offer financing options and discounts for additional cycles.

At the Egg Freezing Center, we believe in accountability, not only for our program, but for all of our colleagues who offer this revolutionary technology. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

It’s your life and your fertility. Take control of it by making informed decisions.