After thet ovaries are stimultated, the eggs can be removed, preserved and stored in a process called oocyte cryopreservation. Eggs are then fertilized when a woman, who is not necessarily the source, is now ready to conceive a child.

Oocyte cryopreservation has been evaluated as an alternative choice for women with various situations and problems to have hope for getting pregnant in the future. Knowing how this process works will help you understand why it has become a better option for many women. Here is an overview of how egg freezing works to help preserve a woman's eggs for future use:

Ovary stimulation

To start the process of oocyte cryopreservation, you will be instructed to undergo a series of follicle stimulating hormone-FSH-injections which can be self-administered daily for one to three weeks. FSH is responsible for stimulating your ovaries to produce more than one egg. At the same time when hormones are injected, your doctor will make sure that your eggs are healthy by conducting regular monitoring of your ovaries through blood tests and ultrasounds until they are ready for harvesting.

Egg extraction

To extract the eggs, the woman has to take special medicines to stimulate ovulation. The egg retrieval process lasts about fifteen minutes, and you will be put to sleep. A needle, guided by ultrasound, will be passed through the vagina to the ovarian follicles to remove the fluid. This fluid now contains the eggs, the number of which is determined by how well your body responded to the follicle stimulating hormone. The eggs' quality and number in fluid are examined under a microscope.

Egg freezing

a process of dehydration is begun to remove the water from the egg. This allows proper freezing As the formation of ice crystals can destroy the integrity of the egg, the eggs need to be soaked in this solution. The freezing process can be conducted by using either a slow-cooling method or a vitrification process.

In slow freezing method, the eggs are frozen gradually by decreasing the temperature by half a degree each time. Slow freezing is the most common method followed by fertility clinics.

the process of vitrification causes the eggs to freeze faster while requiring many more cryoprotectants.

Both methods are equally effective for freezing eggs.

Fertilization

It is not just the owner who can use the frozen eggs. To help other women with assisted reproduction, they can be donated. Once you or the recipient is now ready to conceive, the frozen eggs are then taken from the freezer and thawed out by a fertility specialist who ensures the eggs are properly thawed to avoid flooding that may cause failure of the sperm to fertilize the eggs. Once ready, eggs in great condition undergo a process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection for fertilization. In this process, the sperm is directly injected to the egg rather than letting it penetrate the egg naturally. The fertilized eggs, hoping for at least one successful pregnancy, are then put inside your uterus using a small plastic tube.

The freezing of a woman's eggs is helpful for women preserving them for a future pregnancy or those going through cancer treatments which can be destructive to eggs.