Your Step-By-Step Guide To Egg Freezing in India

Hustling is something that millennials swear by! They go beyond their deadlines, work twice as much, and are always looking for ways to skyrocket their careers. But in comparison to a man, hustling costs a woman way more. As they approach their mid-30s, women often face the much-dreaded question, 'Should I go for my dream job or have kids first?' So, it turns out that the biological clock is also harder on women. As if wage disparity and inherent social stigmas weren't enough! But, thanks to science, women are now taking the middle road. With options like egg freezing gaining popularity in India, women no longer face the guilt of prioritizing their careers and ambitions over raising a family.

A Step-by-step Guide To Egg Freezing In India

Dialogue around egg freezing in India is still new. That's one of the reasons why a large chunk of Indian women remain unaware of its benefits. But, if taken into consideration, egg freezing can be a great tool to gain control over your biological clock. And, the sooner, the better! Studies suggest that the overall rate of live birth through egg freezing is highest when a woman freezes her eggs before 34.¹ And with advancing age, the chances of a successful pregnancy through egg freezing continue to decline. Therefore, opting for this procedure in your late 20s or early 30s can be a great idea.

Irrespective of age, here’s how your egg freezing journey will begin!

1. Meeting A Fertility Specialist

The first step in the egg freezing process is a visit to your fertility doctor or reproductive endocrinologist. This visit will help you learn more about the egg freezing technique and how it may or may not help you in the long run. You can put forward any questions or queries you have and share your expectations from the procedure.²

The second part of the visit will include a comprehensive medical evaluation. It will start with your doctor asking you questions to frame your medical history, followed by a physical examination and some bloodwork. You can expect to sign up for hormone fertility tests as well as a vaginal ultrasound to detect your AFC (Antral Follicle Count). AFC is nothing but your present ovarian reserve, aka the number of eggs in your ovary at the given point in time.²

Make sure that you also bring up questions related to the cost of the entire procedure. Egg freezing in India is still an expensive affair! Ensure it fits your budget before you give the doctor a go-ahead.³

2. Making The Final Call

The second step is all you! Once you have gained sufficient knowledge about various aspects of the procedure, it's time to make your decision. Ensure that you take your time but do not spend second-guessing everything! As mentioned before, egg freezing can be a great way to preserve female fertility, but only when done up to a certain age.

3. Prepping For The Cycle

Once you make up your mind about freezing your eggs, the real journey begins! Your prep cycle starts with signing some consent forms and completing all the pre-cycle testing procedures. The doctor may advise you to make some lifestyle changes, like going off any form of birth control pills.²

Depending on factors like maternal age, present fertility status, and your expectations from motherhood in the future, the fertility specialist will prepare your personalized stimulation protocol.² Consider this your ‘unique plan of action’ to maximize the number of mature eggs for retrieval! 

You'll also get your hands on the expected timeline for each step, learn how to self-administer injections, and discuss the course of your medication. 

4. Ovarian Stimulation

Always busy? Well, now is the time to clear your calendars! Once you are done, it's time for you to prep your ovaries. 

The stimulation protocol targets your ovarian follicles to produce multiple eggs in one cycle. It usually begins during your period or after ovulation with a course of hormones like Estrogen, Lupron, and Progesterone that help to synchronize your ovarian follicles. These hormones ensure that all the follicles mature at the same time and are equally responsive to the injections you'll take thereafter. ²

But before you begin with injections, you'll undergo an ultrasound and some blood tests to see the effect of the medication on your ovaries. Your doctor may also recommend an anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) test to anticipate the results of ovarian stimulation.²

If everything is going well with your ovaries, you'll start with the next course of injections. Starting with a combination of equal LH (Luteinizing hormone) & FSH (Follicle stimulating hormone) or pure FSH, you'll be injecting yourself in the belly or the thigh regularly for close to 10 to 12 days, usually in the evening but at the same time.⁴

By the 5th or the 7th day, your ovaries will begin to enlarge, and simultaneously, you'll also start injecting yourself with Ganirelix or Cetrotide (Medication to block GnRH activity upon the pituitary gland, inhibiting LH & FSH secretion) to prevent ovulation.⁵ You may also be advised to stay away from running or performing heavy workouts to prevent ovarian torsion (A condition where an ovary twists around the ligaments that hold it in place).⁶

Your visits to your specialist during this period will increase. Expect multiple & continuous blood tests or ultrasounds as a part of the monitoring process! 

Once you have completed the course of your hormones and daily injections, you'll undergo one final ultrasound to measure the size of your follicles and one blood test to track estrogen levels. If the doctor feels you are ready for retrieval, you'll be given one final 'trigger shot.' This shot usually contains the hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone and is administered 36 hours prior to the egg maturation step.⁷

5. Egg Retrieval

The last step to egg freezing is going through the retrieval process. You'll be expected to walk into the hospital or clinic on a pre-decided date and get your IV procedure started. Firstly, you'll be administered a dose of sedative medicines to help you fall asleep. It will also be helpful for post-procedure pain relief if you experience any! 

Before the doctor starts with egg retrieval, you'll be given propofol anesthesia to slip into a comfortable nap. Once you are under the effect of anesthesia, the doctor will use a specialized needle attached to a vaginal probe to reach your ovarian follicles.⁸

The doctor will then use the same needle to aspirate all the fluid inside these follicles.⁸ This fluid will be immediately sent to an embryologist who will sort out mature and viable eggs from the same. All this will be done in just 10 to 20 minutes! You'll spend the next 30 minutes in the recovery room and can leave the premises once the anesthesia wears off. 

Back home, you may be greeted with abdominal cramps, constipation, vaginal spotting, or bloating, but you'll be given appropriate medication to tackle these!

6. Time To Freeze The Eggs

'Freezing' your eggs is the shortest and easiest step in this entire process. In fact, it is the only time you'll not be expected to show up in your doctor's office. After the embryologist collects fully mature eggs from the aspirated follicle fluid, they'll be frozen through vitrification - a rapid freezing technique that involves placing the eggs in liquid nitrogen.⁷

That’s like -196 degrees Celsius!

7. Final Follow-up

Your final appointment with the fertility specialist will be a space for discussing what went well and what didn't. You'll get a definite picture of how many of your mature eggs were frozen, securing your chances for motherhood at an advanced age. 

The doctor will also guide you on the potential steps to take once you are ready to use your fertility reserve in the future! In case the egg count is too low, you'll be advised to undergo another retrieval cycle depending on your age, reproductive status, and overall health. 

So, that is all when it comes to freezing your eggs in India. Once you are through with all these steps, you can go back and crack that long-awaited deal!

Confused? Take ‘Baby’ Steps With LifeCell’s OvaScore…

If you are in your 20s, early or late 30s, and are not planning to start a family anytime soon, egg freezing can be your sure-shot ticket to motherhood! However, the entire process can be overwhelming for many. Whether you want to do it now or wait a few years, understanding your reproductive health and fertility status is the first step towards the decision to freeze your eggs. LifeCell's OvaScore serves as a perfect way to kickstart this journey! It is a quick, simple, and hassle-free female fertility test that helps women to learn if their hormones are balanced enough to support their reproductive choices. It helps them track their fertility status and identify potential red flags that may cause issues with their reproductive health, all in just 3 to 5 days! Once you get your OvaScore reports and your eggs are deemed fit to be frozen for future use, LifeCell's OvaVault is there to help. Preserve your fertility and embrace motherhood when you are ready for it!