What is the Difference Between Egg Freezing and Embryo Freezing

The main difference between egg freezing and embryo freezing is that embryo freezing requires sperm. ... But with embryo freezing, the woman's eggs are fertilized with sperm and then frozen for the future.

1. Is embryo freezing better than egg freezing?
2. What is the difference between freezing eggs and embryos?
3. Is egg freezing the same as IVF?
4. Are frozen embryo transfers more successful?
5. What are the side effects of freezing your eggs?
6. What is the best age to freeze eggs?
7. What percentage of fertilized eggs make it to Day 5?
8. Does freezing damage embryos?
9. Which embryos are suitable for freezing?
10. Can you get pregnant naturally after freezing eggs?
11. Can I get pregnant naturally after egg retrieval?
12. Do you gain weight during egg freezing?

Is embryo freezing better than egg freezing?

There was a time, using older slow freeze technology, when embryos survived the freezing and thawing process better than eggs, because embryos are slightly less delicate. However, the introduction of vitrification (flash freezing) has largely eliminated this difference.

What is the difference between freezing eggs and embryos?

The obvious difference between the two procedures is that frozen eggs are unfertilized, while frozen embryos have begun the earliest stages of pregnancy development. ... So freezing embryos is only an option for women who've found sperm that they liked so much, they wanted to put an egg on it.

Is egg freezing the same as IVF?

Egg freezing means options for the future

While during IVF, a doctor implants the fertilized egg back into the uterus within days of the egg retrieval in hopes of achieving a pregnancy right away, egg freezing gives you the option to use those eggs to get pregnant at a later point in time.

Are frozen embryo transfers more successful?

Many fertility specialists and treatment providers indicate that frozen embryo transfers provide a higher pregnancy success rate than using fresh embryos during assisted reproductive technology.

What are the side effects of freezing your eggs?

Signs and symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Even rarer is the possibility of developing a more severe form of the syndrome that can be life-threatening. Egg retrieval procedure complications.

What is the best age to freeze eggs?

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), an optimal time to freeze your eggs is in your 20s and early 30s, while you have a higher ovarian reserve (the number of eggs in your ovaries) and healthier eggs.

What percentage of fertilized eggs make it to Day 5?

Probably a more important reason to perform transfers at the blastocyst stage is that we have a better idea of the quality of the embryo just by the fact that it survived to day 5 or 6. On average, only 30 to 50 percent of embryos make it to the blastocyst stage.

Does freezing damage embryos?

Research shows that the freezing and thawing of embryos does not harm subsequent babies made through IVF. The length of time the embryo was stored does not affect IVF success rates. With improving technology, the difference in pregnancy rates between frozen embryo and fresh is negligible.

Which embryos are suitable for freezing?

Not all embryos are suitable for freezing so only good quality embryos will be chosen to freeze. Embryos can be frozen at different stages of their development – when they're just a single cell, at the two to eight cell stage or later in their development (called the blastocyst stage).

Can you get pregnant naturally after freezing eggs?

Short answer: no, egg freezing won't lower your ovarian reserve and won't decrease your chances of getting pregnancy naturally in the future.

Can I get pregnant naturally after egg retrieval?

While uncommon, natural conception after IVF can occur. One study found that out of 2,134 couples who attempted ART, about 20% became pregnant on their own after treatment. Many couples that present for fertility care are subfertile, not infertile.

Do you gain weight during egg freezing?

It might make you gain weight

“With the period following the egg retrieval, you will see that weight come off. (In fact, you will pee most of it out… remember it's water!)”