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 recognition in the field.

Dr. Jain is an internationally recognized expert in the field of egg freezing. 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 2009 he was invited to debate the topic at the National meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. In 2006, he earned the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society's top research prize for his paper on egg freezing, and in October of that same year, was invited by the highly regarded journal, Fertility and Sterility, to write a comprehensive review article on egg freezing.

Dr. Jain is working to continually improve both the safety and the success of egg freezing technology through ongoing molecular research and clinical trials.

Patients living outside of the Los Angeles area can still benefit fro Dr. Jain's expertise. 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.

You should 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.

Our live birth rates with the vitrification method of egg freezing are over 40% per embryo transfer in a cohort of women with a mean age of 34.

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 2000 babies born from frozen eggs.

The procedures involved in egg freezing do not lead to early menopause as only the eggs that are available that month, and would be lost anyway, are retrieved.

Because egg freezing is new and considered experimental by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, all egg freezing activities at EFC are conducted under the auspices of a research ethics board to assure patient safety.

What methods of egg freezing do you use at your facility?

Short answer: Whatever method is used by the doctor, slow freeze or vitrification, should have been tested and proven to work in that center. However, most leading egg freezing centers have switched solely to vitrification because of superior pregnancy rates when compared to slow-freeze techniques.

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 $15,000 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 $12,850. 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.