Are There Different Types of Egg Freezing?
In recent years, egg freezing has become an increasingly popular fertility care option for women who are concerned about their future family-planning prospects. The process, which allows women to defer pregnancy until a later time, is an attractive option for a diverse range of women, each of whom have their own motivations for wanting to push back the clock.
These motivations generally fall under the categories of “fertility preservation” or “elective egg freezing.”
Fertility Preservation
Fertility preservation is when women freeze their eggs because they are experiencing a medical issue that may impact their fertility. Egg freezing is sometimes recommended for:
- Women with a family history of early menopause
- Women who have been diagnosed with cancer and haven’t started treatment yet
- Women with medical conditions that affect fertility (e.g., endometriosis)
- Women who need to undergo surgery that will impact their reproductive system
Fertility preservation gives women who are facing medical concerns the peace of mind of knowing that, even if their egg quality diminishes during treatment or surgery, they will have some kind of backup plan that will allow the possibility of having their own biological child in the future.
Elective or Social Egg Freezing
Elective egg freezing is done when women wish to delay family planning for personal reasons rather than medical ones. Sometimes called social egg freezing, the process grants women the freedom to achieve their goals and personal aspirations without sacrificing the choice to have a family and vice versa.
Some of the reasons that women are choosing the path of egg freezing include:
- The desire to focus on career, education, traveling, or any other personal aspiration
- Not having found the right partner to start a family with yet
- Wanting to achieve a certain level of security before starting a family, such as reaching a specific level of financial stability or buying a home
Because it provides the means to postpone family planning until a more optimal time, elective egg freezing has become especially relevant for women in their 20s and 30s. It allows women to exert more control over all their priorities and accomplish all their goals.
Are There Different Types of Egg Freezing?
Procedurally speaking, no – the medical processes and technologies used in egg freezing are always the same, regardless of whether the patient is choosing this option because of medical or elective reasons. Also known as oocyte cryopreservation, egg freezing involves a combination of cryoprotectants, cryo-tools, and a rapid freezing technique called vitrification. The only things that differentiate different types of egg freezing are the motivations themselves.
Learn More
Whatever your reason is for freezing your eggs, you should talk to an expert who will counsel you and give you all the information you need to make an educated decision as to whether this process is right for you. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact our experts at Chelsea Fertility of New York City.
