Our Austin fertility doctors want patients to understand the risks of egg freezing
When the American Society for Reproductive Medicine announced in 2012 that egg freezing was no longer considered experimental, women started visiting Texas Fertility Center with questions about the procedure. While egg freezing can help women preserve their fertility, the physicians at our Austin fertility center believe it is important for women to understand the risks of egg freezing before they select this procedure.
The risks of egg freezing are similar to the risks associated with in vitro fertilization, IVF
Egg freezing is a medical procedure and all medical procedures have inherent risks. In this case, the risks of egg freezing are similar to the risks associated with IVF. To help women make an informed decision, our Austin fertility center staff takes the time to discuss the risks involved with each step of the procedure.
- Egg freezing starts with a consultation and physical exam with one of our fertility specialists. At this stage, there is a risk that you may not be healthy or fertile enough for egg freezing. There are other family-building options available if this is the case.
- Egg freezing requires ovarian stimulation and there are risks involved with this step. Since injectable fertility medications are used, some women experience injection site reactions, but this is not common.
- Since women who undergo egg freezing are already fertile, ovarian stimulation can cause discomfort during ovulation, since so many eggs are being produced. In rare cases, some women may experience ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, OHSS. However, this syndrome can often be avoided with proper monitoring by the physicians at our Austin fertility center.
- During the next stage, known as egg retrieval, some women complain of generalized discomfort and post-retrieval bleeding. These issues are generally not serious and often resolve on their own.
It is important for women to realize that egg freezing does not guarantee a future pregnancy
While our Austin fertility center has seen great success with egg freezing, it may not be successful for every woman. After all, no medical procedure has a 100% guarantee of success.
Some women who take advantage of egg freezing may not be able to get pregnant even after they freeze their eggs. Also, since egg freezing is still a new technology, the procedure may not result in a pregnancy for other unknown reasons. However, our Austin fertility center team still believes that the benefits of egg freezing outweigh the risks for many women.