In October 2012, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine lifted the experimental status of egg freezing. Since then, elective egg freezing has become increasingly popular. Originally designed for women whose fertility might be at risk due to cancer or other health conditions, egg freezing has gained attention among women choosing to delay childbearing for personal reasons. However, the long-term success of frozen eggs remains uncertain, as many women who have frozen their eggs have not yet used them to conceive.
Egg freezing can be expensive. While major tech companies have started offering it as a benefit, most women face out-of-pocket costs of over $6,000 per cycle, not including medication. The number of eggs a woman needs to freeze to ensure a successful pregnancy is still unclear. And if a woman wishes to have multiple children, the question arises: should she undergo multiple cycles to increase her chances?
To address these uncertainties, a team of researchers led by Dr. Janis H. Fox, a reproductive endocrinologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, developed a personalized tool to guide women in their egg-freezing decisions. The model, which was published in Human Reproduction on February 6, 2017, aims to provide evidence-based advice, helping women make informed decisions about their fertility.
The tool uses data from 520 healthy, fertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and is designed to estimate how many eggs a woman should freeze based on her age and desired family size. This model is the first to factor in age year by year and take into account the likelihood that an embryo from frozen eggs will have the correct number of chromosomes.
Researchers built the model using specific data on egg survival rates after thawing, fertilization success, and the number of embryos needed for a live birth. For example, a 35-year-old woman who freezes 10 eggs in one cycle has a 69% chance of a successful live birth. If she undergoes a second cycle and freezes 20 eggs, her chances rise to 90%. With 30 eggs, her chances increase to 97%.
Dr. Randi H. Goldman, a fellow in reproductive endocrinology and the study’s first author, explained, “Our model helps women make informed choices based on available data and their family goals. Ultimately, the decision of whether to freeze more eggs is personal, and women must weigh the benefits against the costs.”
The research team is working on a digital version of the tool that will be available to the public soon. However, they caution that the model’s assumptions are based on data from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and may differ across fertility centers.
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