Egg Freezing Journey

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Egg Freezing Journey

It’s a massively personal decision! P.S This is not an exhaustive doc.

About the author:

Created this doc as I prepare myself, a 31yo, to freeze my own eggs this year (November 2024). Clinics are focused in the Bay Area. Please do your own research but this is what I've gathered for myself and I’ll capture my experience as I go.

Current stage: research and finding clinic

I’m not an expert but if you’d like to share experiences or want a buddy through this journey, DM me IG:

lucyyip_⁠

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Maven’s Ultimate guide to egg freezing:

Open link

⁠

This is a good read!

Research

Expect to spend about a month going through the process to freeze your eggs (and more time if you need to do multiple egg freezing cycles). Each egg freezing cycle usually takes around 2-3 weeks, but might be longer or shorter depending on how many pre-cycle appointments you need and your fertility medication protocol.

Screening and preparation: 1 to 4 weeks

Once you’ve found a clinic, you’ll have 1-2 initial appointments to check your overall and reproductive health, including assessing your current egg supply (or ovarian reserve). You’ll likely have some blood tests and a transvaginal ultrasound (that’s when an ultrasound wand is inserted into the vagina). This will help your doctor understand if you’re a good candidate for egg freezing and how much medication you may need to stimulate your ovaries.

You’ll also be required to get certain tests done before you can freeze your eggs—like a Pap smear, a TSH blood test (thyroid stimulating hormone), a CBC (complete blood count), and screenings for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). If you’ve already done these tests recently, you can bring the results with you and may not need to do them again.

Ovarian stimulation: Up to 2 weeks

Once you’ve completed all the testing and have the go-ahead, your doctor will likely wait for your period to begin before starting you on hormone medication. They may prescribe short-term birth control medication to help multiple follicles grow at the same rate (follicles are the sacs in your ovaries that contain eggs). Birth control can also help with timing your egg retrieval.

Once your period starts, you’ll be prescribed hormonal medication (this is often referred to as the stimming or stimulation phase). You’ll take a synthetic form of FSH (it’s based on a hormone our bodies naturally release) to encourage your ovaries to produce multiple eggs (instead of the one that typically gets released in a normal menstrual cycle); this helps ensure there are enough eggs to collect. In some patients, a combination of FSH and luteinizing hormone (LH) may be used. You’ll give yourself these hormones through self injections once or twice a day for about 10-12 days.

During this time, you’ll visit the clinic every 1-3 days for blood work and a vaginal ultrasound so your doctor can track how your ovaries are responding and dial your medication dosage up or down as needed. Depending on your body’s response to FSH, your doctor may use an “antagonist” medication (such as Ganirelix) halfway through your cycle to prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs too early. If needed, antagonist medications are typically injected daily for a few days leading up to the trigger shot.

Trigger shot: 36 hours

Once your eggs have matured, you’ll be given a final injection called a “trigger shot” that encourages your ovaries to release the eggs. This trigger shot is usually a synthetic form of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), the same hormone produced by your body during pregnancy. You’ll be ready for egg retrieval roughly 36 hours after the trigger shot is given.

Egg retrieval and freezing: 20 minutes

To retrieve your eggs, the doctor will use an ultrasound probe inserted into your vagina to see your ovaries and locate the follicles. A needle attached to the ultrasound probe punctures the follicles and gentle suction removes the egg-contained fluid from within (don’t worry, you’ll be under light sedation so you won’t feel this). The process takes about 20 minutes and right after your eggs are retrieved, they’re brought to the embryologist to be frozen and stored for future use. (You may feel groggy due to the sedation so clinics require that a designated driver takes you home.)

Recovery: Up to a week

Recovery time after the procedure is different for everyone. You can be back to normal as soon as the next day or take up to a week to feel 100%. You might experience cramping, bloating, and nausea and feel a bit tired for several days.

Summarized steps to freeze your eggs

Self-inject hormone medicine (to have your eggs work on developing at the same time)

Regular bloodwork and ultrasounds to track how/if those eggs are developing

A trigger shot that will be given roughly 36 hours before your egg retrieval helps make sure eggs are “mature” enough for the procedure

Egg retrieval, which is a 15-30 minute procedure under general anesthesia after the doctor believes the eggs are ready and mature to be retrieved

An embryologist (a scientist who focuses on reproductive medicine) will check which eggs are mature and have the potential to fertilize before freezing them

Usually, anywhere from 20 to 40% of the collected eggs aren’t fully mature and won’t be frozen; the rest will proceed on to cryopreservation.

Your eggs undergo a “flash freeze” process and are ready to be stored usually at the lab in the same clinic.

Keep in mind

Every egg you freeze doesn’t necessarily have a 100% chance of leading to a baby. The live success rate completely depends on the individual, especially how old they were when they froze their eggs. “We usually tell patients to expect about 20% of frozen eggs to result in an embryo,” Some data suggests that individuals who freeze 10 eggs at age 36 have anywhere from a 30 to 60% chance of having a baby with them. Those odds go up for individuals who are younger, but fall considerably with age.

Some might produce only 5 or 6 eggs, while others can produce 25 or more in a single cycle.

Freezing your eggs can come with some uncomfortable, but temporary, side effects. These are mostly from the fertility medications.

Symptoms include

Cramping

Bloating

Fatigue

Headaches

Pain/redness around injection sites (from the fertility medication injections)

Constipation

Light spotting (after egg retrieval)

COST

A single round of egg freezing can cost anywhere between $5,000 to $11,000, plus the cost of medications (which can add another few thousand dollars to the bill) and annual storage fees, which can range from $300 to over $1,000 and aren’t based on how many eggs you bank.

New York City, for instance, is one of the priciest cities to store your eggs, with a price-tag of $1,100 per year, on average. If you live in San Francisco, on the other hand, an annual storage fee could be less than half of that amount.

Most patients have to pay out-of-pocket, but it’s still worth calling your health insurance provider to ask about your coverage. Some plans, for instance, cover the fertility consultations and diagnostic tests, even if they don’t foot the bill for the actual procedure. Make sure you understand exactly what’s included in your clinic’s quoted fee, and the factors that may affect your total bill. For example, if your ovarian reserve is lower, you’ll likely need more drugs to get results. If you’re older or have significant fertility issues, you may end up paying significantly more.

You can also always ask your clinic about ways to bring down costs; some offer financing plans where you get a deal if you prepay for a year or more of storage instead of making monthly payments, for example.

You’re not tied to one storage facility for your frozen eggs.

Total costs using Spring Fertility in San Francisco with no insurance coverage as of Nov 2024:

$14,263.62

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My personal expenses

My personal expenses

Name

Cost

Notes

Alto Pharmacy

$2,453.33

Meds - self pay

Alto Pharmacy

$190.00

Meds - self pay

Alto Pharmacy

$272.00

Meds - self pay

Spring Fertility

$545.00

Consultation Fee

Spring Fertility

$9,960.00

1 round of egg freezing

CVS

$48.29

Clearblue ovulation test kit

Spring Fertility

$795.00

Annual storage fee

There are no rows in this table

$14,263.62

Sum

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Find a Clinic

Some questions you should ask when you’re evaluating potential clinics:

About the Clinic

Do you have a lab on-site?

What technology and equipment does your lab use to freeze eggs?

Where will my eggs be stored after they’re frozen?

Has your facility had any issues with equipment failure in the past?

Can you explain your clinic’s safeguards that keep the eggs secure?

Does the equipment have independent alarm sensors and if so, who’s alerted when the alarm goes off?

What will happen if/when I want to use my eggs?

What is the total cost of egg freezing for a single cycle - including medications, monitoring investigations, the admin fee and storage cost? Are there any additional costs?

How long can I keep my eggs in storage? Do I need to renew my consent to storage? What happens to my eggs if I move out of state? What happens if I in the future decide I no longer need my stored eggs?

Who will I most frequently be in contact with at the clinic? i.e monitoring procedures? How does communication work here?

Clinic’s success rates

What is the clinic’s “Egg Thaw Rate” for egg freezing? and what of fertilized eggs become a "

blastocyst⁠

" stage embryo by Day 6?

What are your success rates for thawing frozen eggs and creating embryos?

What is the ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection ) Fertilization Rate?

A fertility treatment that involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg during in vitro fertilization (IVF).

What is your ongoing pregnancy rate after one genetically-normal embryo is transferred?

What is your live birth rate for eggs previously frozen at your facility?

How many embryos (on average) are transferred in a typical IVF cycle? How many pregnancies here have resulted in multiple births vs. single births?

More and more research is highlighting the importance of quality over quantity—which is why many clinics now do a single transfer rather than transferring multiple embryos.

What specific tests do you recommend for me? s testing performed in the clinic?

Treatment Cycles

What tests will I need to have before treatment begins?

While you’re asking this question, make sure you also find out the related costs—and what’s covered by your insurance.

What are the steps of the egg freezing process at your specific clinic?

Does your clinic batch cycles or will I be able to start based on my own cycle?

How long would the wait time be for me to start a cycle?

Based on my test results, what are your recommended treatment options?

How many mature eggs do you think I will get? How many blastocyst embryos can I expect?

For a patient like me, how many cycles are typically needed to achieve a successful outcome?

Are there any lifestyle changes you recommend to improve the chances of conception?

Bay Area Clinics

Decision

Name

Google/Yelp Rating

Key Success Indicators

Link

*Maven Partner?

Recommended by a friend

Notes

Decision

Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area

4.7; 42 reviews (San Mateo)

Key success indicators • Average embryos transferred: 1.0 (<35 years of age) • Final live birth per new patient: 53.3% (<35 years of age) • Patient satisfaction: Fertility IQ: 9/10 (223 reviews) • More information: Reproductive Science Center on SART • Discounted single and/or multi cycle packages are available at this clinic for self-pay members. You may inquire with the clinic's financial counseling team for further details

Multiple locations in the bay area

Open

RMA of Northern California

4.5; 53 reviews (San Francisco)

Key success indicators • Average embryos transferred: 1.0 (<35 years go age) • Final live birth per new patient: 63.2% (<35 years of age) • Patient satisfaction: Fertility IQ: 8.6/10 (121 reviews) • More information: RMA on SART • 15% discount on out-of-pocket charges not covered by insurance or after insurance lifetime max, excluding deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance.

“A lot of women have also used RMA but said that they’ve declined in quality over the past two years (2022-2024) and do not recommend them anymore, a lot of bad experiences in the group!”

Open

Pacific Fertility Center

4.2; 87 reviews (San Francisco)

Key success indicators • Average embryos transferred: 1.0 (<35 years of age) • Final live birth per new patient: 43.8% (<35 years of age) • Patient satisfaction: Fertility IQ: 8/10 (84 reviews) • More information: Pacific Fertility on SART • 20% discount on out-of-pocket charges not covered by insurance or after insurance lifetime max, excluding deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance.

Open

CCRM San Francisco

3.7 Menlo Park loc; 63 reviews

Key success indicators • Average embryos transferred: 1.0 (<35 years of age) • Final live birth per new patient: 55.2% (<35 years of age) • Patient satisfaction: Fertility IQ: 8.3/10 (44 reviews) • More information: CCRM on SART • 10% discount on out-of-pocket charges not covered by insurance or after insurance lifetime max, excluding deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance.

Open

Laurel Fertility Care

3.7 SF loc; 39 reviews google

Key success indicators • Average embryos transferred: 1.2 (<35 years of age) • Final live birth per new patient: 39.8% (<35 years of age) • Patient satisfaction: Fertility IQ: 7.5/10 (47 reviews) • More information: Laurel Fertility on

SART

⁠

Open

Spring Fertility

4.2; 52 reviews (San Francisco)

Key success indicators • Average embryos transferred: Not Available • Final live birth per new patient: 56.5% (<35 years of age) • Patient satisfaction: Fertility IQ: 8.9/10 (196 reviews) • More information:

SART

⁠

Multiple locations in the bay area

Open

UCSF Center for Reproductive Health

3.3; 33 google review

Key success indicators • Average embryos transferred: 1.1 (<35 years of age) • Final live birth per new patient: 43.4% (<35 years of age) • Patient satisfaction: Fertility IQ: 8.3/10 (184 reviews) • More information: UCSF on

SART

⁠

UCSF was another recommendation — more cost effective than other options but noticeably less of a personalized experience because of their volume I assume

Open

Kindbody

3.7; 3 reviews on Google

Open

Nova

Mountain View loc; 4.8; 72 reviews on google

“My wife and I used nova in Mountain View for her IVF cycle and they were incredible.”

Open

There are no rows in this table

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San Francisco_CA_Egg Freezing Clinic_378041_Referral.pdf

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*Maven isn’t able to guarantee coverage, which is determined directly by your carrier. While we make efforts to ensure that our lists of providers, clinics, and hospitals are up to date and accurate, providers do leave networks from time to time, and these listings do change. Before establishing care, personally confirm coverage with both your provider’s office and your insurance carrier by calling the number on the back of your insurance card.

FAQ

Questions that went through my mind as I was researching..

If I go through this process and my eggs are retrieved, will I have no more eggs producing in the future

There’s a common misconception that stimulation “uses up” your egg supply or diminishes your ovarian reserve, but that’s not the case. You're born with all the eggs you'll ever have. By puberty, you have about 300,000-400,000 eggs. In each menstrual cycle, several eggs begin to mature, but typically only one reaches full maturity and is released (ovulated). During the egg freezing process, hormones are used to stimulate your ovaries to mature multiple eggs in one cycle. The mature eggs are then retrieved - usually about 10-20 eggs per cycle. This process does not affect the eggs that remain in your ovaries. Your body will continue to release eggs naturally in future cycles. Your ovarian reserve (total number of eggs) does naturally decline with age, but this happens regardless of whether you freeze eggs or not. So, egg retrieval for freezing only collects the eggs that matured in that particular stimulated cycle. It doesn't remove all your eggs or stop future egg production. Your natural fertility cycle will resume after the procedure.

Will freezing my eggs affect my natural fertility?

Freezing your eggs generally does not affect your natural fertility. The egg freezing process involves retrieving some of your eggs, but it doesn't impact your ability to conceive naturally in the future

What lifestyle choices should I make to improve my health and fertility?

Maintain a healthy weight, eat a balanced, nutritious diet, Exercise regularly, Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, Manage stress, Get adequate sleep

What are the risks of egg freezing?

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (rare)

Complications from anesthesia or egg retrieval procedure (uncommon)

Emotional stress

No guarantee of future pregnancy success

How long after the egg retrieval does it take for your period to return?

The return of your menstrual period can vary, but typically: Most women will get their next period within 2 weeks after the egg retrieval procedure. Some women may experience their period as soon as 7-10 days after retrieval. In some cases, it might take up to 6 weeks for the period to return, though this is less common.

About the author:

Research

Summarized steps to freeze your eggs

Some questions you should ask when you’re evaluating potential clinics:

Bay Area Clinics

FAQ

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