Now accepting Telehealth appointments. Schedule a virtual visit.

Who is Egg Freezing For?


 

Freezing My Eggs: Who is Egg Freezing For?

Medically reviewed by Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS - Written by CHR Staff - Updated on Nov 18, 2019

Women may consider egg freezing for a number of reasons, including health, educational, professional, and social factors. (To learn more about fertility preservation for cancer patients facing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, see this page.)

One fact that may be missing in the egg freezing discussion in the media, however, is that not every woman who is delaying starting a family needs egg freezing, nor does every woman need egg freezing at the same age or with the same urgency.

Whether and when to freeze eggs is a highly individual balancing act. At the Center of Human Reproduction, our physicians work with each woman to discuss her circumstances and help her understand her reproductive health, so that she can make an educated decision that is best for her.

Freezing Eggs to Combat Premature Ovarian Aging

Approximately 10% of women have a condition called premature ovarian aging, or POA. At any given time, a woman with POA has fewer eggs in her ovaries (lower ovarian reserve) than a woman without the condition. This means that, if possible, women with POA should freeze their eggs at a younger age than women with normally aging ovaries. For example, it may be more urgent for a 26-year-old woman with POA to freeze her eggs than for a 33-year-old woman with normal ovarian reserve.

Therefore, it is important to diagnose POA as early as possible. The first step for each patient considering egg freezing at CHR always includes an assessment of the risk that she will develop POA. If a young woman is at risk for POA, we can monitor her ovarian reserve so that she can adjust her timeline for egg freezing (or pregnancy).

Freezing Eggs at a Younger Age Increases Pregnancy Chances

In general, the younger a woman is when she freezes her eggs, the better her egg quality. This means that, should she choose to use her frozen eggs later on, she will have better chances of becoming pregnant with IVF. She also needs fewer eggs to freeze than someone freezing her eggs later in life.

For this reason, freezing eggs when a woman is in her twenties is preferred. While many women do freeze their eggs in their thirties, most experts recommend against egg freezing after ages 36-38. After age 38, our advice is usually to attempt pregnancy right away, rather than freezing eggs. However, circumstances vary, and the patient is always the ultimate decision-maker at CHR.

What's My Fertility

Considering Egg Freezing?
Learn Your Risk of Future Infertility First.

Take Our FREE Online Screening

Take Our FREE Online Screening

If you’re considering freezing your eggs, CHR offers a free online screening called What’s My Fertility that tells you whether you’re truly at risk for reduced fertility during your 30s. Developed by the fertility specialists at CHR, a screening from What’s My Fertility tells you:

  • Your risk of developing premature ovarian aging (POA), a silent cause of infertility that affects 1 in 10 women
  • How fertile you may be in the future
  • Whether egg freezing is a good option for you

 

No appointment is necessary. Visit What’sMyFertility.com to start today.

START MY FREE SCREENING

Become a Patient

 

Norbert Gleicher, MD

Norbert Gleicher, MD, FACOG, FACS

Norbert Gleicher, MD, leads CHR’s clinical and research efforts as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. A world-renowned specialist in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and lectured globally while keeping an active clinical career focused on ovarian aging, immunological issues and other difficult cases of infertility.

Follow on LinkedIn    

Watch his videos on YouTube    

 

 

Location

Center for Human Reproduction
21 E 69th Street
Upper East Side

New York, NY 10021
Phone: 626-385-7918
Fax: 212-994-4499

Office Hours

Get in touch

626-385-7918