Egg Freezing at West Coast Fertility Center in Orange County, California results in more than 70 babies born from Frozen Eggs.

Egg Freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is now a reality in the specialty of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. It has found new applications in women wishing to preserve their fertility for medical indications or personal reasons.

Innovative research at West Coast Fertility Centers began to unravel some of the mysteries associated with egg freezing. Since the year 2000, our scientific team has made numerous modifications to special biochemical solutions used to protect the eggs before they can be frozen. As our experience with egg freezing expanded, we noted a more efficient diffusion of the protective freezing fluids into the egg cell. This led to preservation of the egg's vital structures like the chromosomes, the meiotic spindle and the mitochondria.

Our frozen egg thaw survival rate rose to 91% compared to 10% with early studies in the 1980's. A research protocol for egg freezing with informed consent was approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). After learning about our work, numerous patients inquired whether they might be candidates for egg freezing. Our First Baby Born After Thawing Frozen Eggs occurred in 2005 from eggs which had been frozen from many years earlier.

 

Egg Freezing Success Rates West Coast Fertility Centers

Our success rate has been achieved by Thawing Just 6 Frozen Eggs per Attempt compared to previous studies where 30 - 40 eggs were thawed. Therefore, we believe this is by far the most efficient method of thawing eggs anywhere in the world.

Who May Benefit From Oocyte Freezing?

Our research suggests that women with good ovarian reserve have the best chance for successful thaw of their frozen eggs. This is determined by measuring specific blood hormones like FSH, Estradiol, Inhibin B and Anti-Mullerian Hormone. Other assessments include the Antral Follicle Count and calculating the Ovarian Volume in Cubic centimeters. Women under 38 years old seem to have the best chance for success.

By specific categories, the following groups may benefit from egg freezing

Patients Diagnosed with Cancer (Oncofertility)
Patients scheduled to have chemotherapy or radiation therapy may sustain damage to their fragile egg cells. Properly selected patients may freeze their oocytes before starting their anti-cancer treatment (Oncofertility). Men can also freeze their healthy sperm by freezing several semen samples prior to starting treatment.

Elective Fertility Preservation
Women who have not met their life partner may electively wish to preserve their healthy, robust eggs to help delay the physiologic decline in fertility resulting from the aging process. Other women whose career goals may delay their timeline for having children may also wish to consider Fertility Preservation.

Also, there are women undergoing IVF who do not wish to freeze embryos for personal or ethical reasons and, therefore, will electively freeze their eggs.

Egg Freezing During In-Vitro Fertilization
Women who are undergoing IVF will often have more eggs than they will possibly use during their IVF cycle. If all the eggs are inseminated with sperm, this may lead to surplus embryos which will need to be frozen and eventually discarded. An alternative choice is to inseminate a limited number of freshly collected eggs and create a few embryos. All extra eggs can be frozen in the unfertilized state.

Frozen Donor Eggs from the Frozen Egg Bank
Women who are in need of donor eggs to achieve a healthy birth may now select frozen eggs from the Frozen Egg Bank's on-line catalogue. Donors from diverse ethnic backgrounds have undergone FDA required screening with a background review of genetic, medical and family related issues. Only the healthiest, most qualified donors are accepted according to the Frozen Egg Bank's rigorous selection criteria. With Frozen Donor Eggs, synchronization problems are avoided and there is no need to wait because frozen eggs are available whenever the intended mother is ready to begin.

What Every Woman Should Know Before Egg Freezing

The Experience of the IVF Center performing egg freezing is critical to success. In this case, Egg Freezing Specialist, Dr. David Diaz and his Team are among the world's foremost authorities in the Science of Egg Freezing. Their efforts have yielded the birth of more than 10% of all the children in the world born from Frozen Eggs.

While egg freezing is a delicate and highly specialized assisted reproductive technology (ART), the handling and thawing of Frozen Eggs is even more critical. Microscopic Studies of the Eggs before freezing and after thawing have been performed by Dr. Diaz and his team of scientists. As presented at the annual fertility society meeting, their technique illustrates distinct preservation of the egg's delicate internal organelles which in turn yields excellent survival rates and a high degree of implantation.

If you are considering Cryopreservation of Your Eggs, it is critical to…

Ask the Following Key Questions:
1. What is the Survival Rate when frozen eggs are thawed? (91% at West Coast Fertility)
2. How many Live Births have been reported at the center? (more than 70 babies born at West Coast Fertility)
3. How many Eggs are Thawed per Attempt to produce a pregnancy? (6 at WCFC) 
4. What is the Cost of the Egg Freezing Procedure? (Contact West Coast Fertility)

At West Coast Fertility Centers, we offer frozen donor eggs to couples looking for an option to traditional egg donation. If you are interested in donor eggs you can easily select from the on-line Frozen Egg Bank donor catalogue through our affiliation with Frozen Egg Bank, Inc.

To request more information, contact our Egg Freezing Staff at 714-513-1399.