What Is Egg Freezing?
Delaying pregnancy through egg freezing is more common than before. For modern women, egg freezing presents the opportunity for them to experience other aspects of life such as pursuing a career and managing health concerns, before conceiving and entering the next stage of life.
Egg Freezing in Singapore
In Singapore, women who wish to utilise their frozen eggs are required to meet the Ministry of Health’s criteria, which includes being legally married. If they are above 45 years of age, there will be further guidelines and assessments.
Keen to find out more about how Egg Freezing can help you begin your fertility journey? Call 6311 1250 or make an appointment to consult our specialists at Raffles Fertility Centre.
Reasons for Egg Freezing
Egg freezing can be carried out for a variety of reasons. Reasons may include:
Medical conditions or circumstances that affect your fertility. These includes sickle cell anaemia and autoimmune diseases such as lupus, and low egg reserves (often after ovarian cysts removal).
Cancer treatment or other procedures that may affect your ability to conceive.
Certain medical treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy can affect your fertility. Undergoing egg freezing before your treatment can help to preserve your eggs and increase your chances of conceiving later in life after treatment completion.
Preserving younger eggs for future use.
Freezing eggs at a younger age might help increase your chances of conceiving in the future when you are ready to start a family.
Risks of Egg Freezing
As like all medical procedures, egg freezing carries various risks. They include:
Conditions related to the use of fertility drugs.
While rare, the use of injectable fertility drugs, such as folliclestimulating hormone or luteinising hormone, can cause your ovaries to be swollen and painful after ovulation or egg retrieval. Signs and symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
There is also a rare possibility of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a more severe form of the syndrome that can be life-threatening. Signs of OHSS include shortness of breath, water retention in the abdomen and lungs, and blood clots in your veins.
Complications from egg retrieval procedure.
While rare, the use of an aspirating needle to retrieve eggs may cause bleeding, infection, or damage to the bowel.
Impact on emotional health.
Egg freezing offers women a chance to conceive in their later years. However, it comes with risks and there is no guarantee of success. The risk of miscarriage after egg freezing is determined by the age of the woman at the time the eggs were frozen. Women above 36 years old have a significantly lower rate of embryo development, and generally face a higher chance of a miscarriage due to older eggs. Emotional support from one’s partner and loved ones are crucial during this phase.
Preparing for Egg Freezing
Egg freezing can be a challenging process physically and emotionally, and it is important that you choose a fertility centre with a healthcare team you are comfortable with.
Step 1: Ovarian reserve testing
To determine the quantity and quality of your eggs, your fertility specialist may test the Anti-Müllerian Hormone level in your blood. Results will help the expert decide on the dosage and type of hormonal injections required to optimise your ovarian’s response.
An ultrasound of the ovaries might also be ordered to get a more complete picture of your ovarian function and to check for other conditions, such as ovarian cysts that may affect your egg retrieval.
Step 2: Reproductive hormone tests
Such as FSH, LH, Estradiol and Progesterone will be ordered to determine the treatment plan and dosages of the fertility medication during ovarian stimulation.
Step 3: Infectious disease screening
Before the procedure, you will also be screened or certain infectious diseases such as HIV, venereal disease, hepatitis B and C, cytomegalovirus, and rubella.
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Make An Appointment
Make an appointment online or contact the fertility clinic to consult a fertility specialist. Under Specialist Appointment Details, select "Assisted Reproductive Medicine" or "Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Fertility".
Make an enquiry. We will get back to you within 2 working days. You can reach us at 6311 1250.