How Long Can Frozen Eggs Be Stored?

With advances in reproductive medicine, more people are choosing to have children later in life. Fertility declines with age in both men and women. For women in particular, fertility is generally highest from the late teenage years through the late twenties, with a more noticeable decline beginning in the mid-thirties.

Many people who choose to delay pregnancy may consider freezing their eggs while they are still young. Waiting too long does not only mean having fewer eggs, but may also mean a decline in egg quality.

Every woman is born with a limited number of eggs. This number gradually decreases with each menstrual cycle. As the overall number of eggs declines, their quality may also decrease. Lower egg quality is often associated with a higher chance of chromosomal abnormalities in embryos. As women get older, their eggs are more likely to contain too many or too few chromosomes, which may lead to genetic conditions such as Down syndrome.

Therefore, women who have consulted a doctor or understand the increased risks associated with pregnancy at an older age, but still wish to have a healthy biological child in the future, may seriously consider egg freezing.

What Is Egg Freezing?

Egg freezing is a fertility-preservation method that may increase a woman’s chance of having a healthy biological child later in life. It is often performed as part of an in vitro fertilisation, or IVF, process, although eggs may also be frozen independently for use in future fertility treatment.

During IVF treatment, a woman receives fertility medication to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once the eggs have matured, they are collected through a procedure guided by transvaginal ultrasound. The retrieved eggs are then placed in a culture medium and prepared for further treatment.

If the eggs are not fertilised immediately, they can be frozen and stored for future use. They are preserved at approximately -196°C to prevent cellular deterioration. Today, some women choose to freeze their eggs while they are still in their twenties.

Why Do Women Freeze Their Eggs?

One of the main reasons women choose egg freezing is the understanding that both the quantity and quality of eggs decrease with age. Women who know they may want children in the future may therefore choose to freeze their eggs while they are younger to improve their chances of having a healthy pregnancy later.

IVF specialists have helped women achieve successful pregnancies after their eggs had been stored for as long as 14 years. This suggests that when eggs are stored correctly, there may be no fixed biological time limit for their use.

Some women delay pregnancy because they want to achieve career goals or establish financial stability first. Others may make this decision while they are single and waiting to meet the right partner. Some couples may agree to wait until they are more financially secure and emotionally prepared before having children. In such cases, the male partner may also choose to freeze his sperm.

In other situations, egg freezing may be used as a precaution before medical treatment that could affect fertility. Many young women undergoing chemotherapy for cancer choose to freeze their eggs beforehand. Treatments such as chemotherapy may affect the ovaries and hormone production, making pregnancy more difficult for several years.

Although pregnancy after cancer treatment may be safe for both mother and child in appropriate cases, disruption to egg production and hormone function may reduce fertility. Egg freezing may therefore provide a practical fertility-preservation option.

Egg freezing may also be recommended for women with medical conditions that could cause premature infertility. Conditions such as thyroid disorders, pituitary tumours, and polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, may affect fertility in some women.

How Long Can Frozen Eggs Be Stored?

In theory, as long as the eggs remain frozen at approximately -196°C, the cells should not deteriorate. This means that frozen eggs may potentially be stored for an unlimited period. However, the permitted storage period depends on local laws and regulations.

In the United Kingdom, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, or HFEA, permits frozen eggs and sperm to be stored for up to 55 years from the date they were first placed in storage.

However, the owners of the eggs or sperm must renew their consent every 10 years for storage to continue. Fertility clinics are required to contact patients and ask them to complete a new consent form at each 10-year interval.

If consent is not renewed or the clinic cannot contact the patient, the eggs may have to be removed from storage and disposed of. Where storage fees apply, failure to make the required payments may also result in the eggs being discarded.

The permitted storage period therefore depends on the country or region in which the eggs are stored. Anyone considering egg freezing should consult the fertility clinic providing the service and review the relevant local laws and clinic policies.

It is also important to monitor any policy changes and keep personal contact information updated. This helps ensure that the clinic can continue communicating with you about the storage and future use of your frozen eggs, even many years later.

 

Reference :

BCC IVF Wellness

ArokaGO Providers Bangkok Central Clinic IVF Wellness