By: John G. Wilcox, MD, FACOG
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has finally issued new guidelines for egg freezing and it is no longer considered experimental. Vitrification, a rapid freezing technique, has dramatically improved outcomes for frozen eggs and embryos. Survival rates are greater than 90% and pregnancy rates are comparable to fresh cycles. Since these procedures have not demonstrated any significant harm to the baby with over 900 births from frozen eggs, it is safe to say, many more women will be freezing their eggs for a variety of indications. That said, women should not wait too long to freeze their eggs, since pregnancy rates decrease dramatically with IVF as women age. Our clinic suggests women freeze their eggs before age 35 and not after 38 in most cases.