Egg Freezing

An increasing number of women are choosing to freeze their eggs, empowering them to pursue motherhood on their own terms. With Dr. Ioannis Zervomanolakis’ expertise in egg freezing and consistently high success rates, we help ensure that every woman has the opportunity to become a mother when the time is right.

What is Egg Freezing?

Egg freezing is a simple procedure, similar to a standard in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempt. Anyone visiting a major Assisted Reproduction Unit in Greece will immediately notice that the average age of women resorting to Assisted Reproduction is over 37.

One key reason for this social reality is that in our country—as in other advanced Western nations—women are choosing to have children at increasingly older ages. However, as a woman’s age increases, both the number and quality of available eggs are negatively affected, resulting in IVF often being the only viable solution.

Egg Freezing & Legislation

 

The recent birth of a healthy baby girl at our clinic, conceived from eggs frozen a decade ago, highlights the reliability of egg freezing as a fertility preservation method for young women. Originally developed as an experimental technique to help cancer patients facing potential infertility, egg freezing gained wider recognition after major companies like Apple and Facebook began offering it as a benefit to female employees in 2014. This encouraged many women worldwide to preserve their fertility due to delayed family planning or the absence of a suitable partner.

In Greece, an increasing number of women under 35 are now choosing to freeze their eggs for future use. Recent legislative changes in 2022 have further empowered women by allowing married women to freeze their genetic material without requiring their husband’s consent. Additionally, the removal of the previous 10-year storage limit and the establishment of age 54 as the upper age limit for IVF provide women with greater flexibility and reduce the urgency to use their frozen eggs within a strict time frame.

Egg Freezing – Preparation

Preparation for egg freezing begins at the start of the menstrual cycle. The choice of protocol—whether mini IVF or a natural cycle—depends on the woman’s age and Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels, which indicate ovarian reserve. Follicle development is closely monitored through a series of ultrasounds and hormone tests. Approximately 12 days later, when the follicles reach an optimal size, eggs are retrieved vaginally under mild sedation using a thin needle and then frozen using vitrification, a technique that effectively preserves egg quality for as long as needed.

Fertilization occurs later using either the partner’s sperm or donor sperm from a sperm bank, and embryos are transferred after appropriate preparation of the woman’s uterus.

The number of eggs needed varies by age: women under 35 often require only one retrieval to achieve pregnancy, while those over 40 may need multiple cycles. Advances in vitrification have resulted in egg survival rates after thawing exceeding 90%, with pregnancy rates surpassing 50% for women under 35. Importantly, all current studies confirm that the hormones used during stimulation are safe and do not increase the risk of future cancer.

Greece offers a high standard of assisted reproduction, attracting patients internationally due to the expertise of doctors and embryologists, modern technology, a favorable legal framework, competitive costs, and the opportunity to combine treatment with a vacation. However, selecting the right clinic involves more than scientific and technological considerations—it is also about building a trusting relationship between the woman and her doctor, who will guide and support her journey toward motherhood when the time is right.

Detailed Overview of the Procedure

Ovarian Stimulation:

To stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs, you will need to take medications such as FSH or HMG, administered via daily injections for 10–12 days. These injections can be self-administered or given by a pharmacist, and we will provide thorough training if you choose to administer them yourself.

Alternatively, if you undergo a natural IVF cycle, no ovarian stimulation medications are used. Instead, the development of the single naturally produced egg is carefully monitored through ultrasounds and hormone tests, and the egg is retrieved at the optimal time.

For younger women at higher risk of ovarian hyperstimulation—such as those with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)—we may recommend an antagonist protocol with an agonist trigger. This approach effectively prevents ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) while preserving egg quality. In these cases, embryo transfer is typically performed in the following or subsequent cycle.

Egg Retrieval (Oocyte Pick-Up):

The egg collection procedure takes place approximately 36 hours after administration of β-hCG, which prepares your eggs for retrieval. It is a short procedure performed under sedation and lasts about 20–30 minutes. A thin needle is inserted vaginally and guided via ultrasound. Eggs are collected from the ovaries via transvaginal aspiration. After the procedure, you may experience mild symptoms such as bloating or cramping. Once the sedation wears off—usually within half an hour—you may get up and eat something light. Within about two hours, you can go about your day.

Freezing:

After egg retrieval, your eggs will be frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen for future use. This process is safe, and the quality of the eggs is not affected by the duration of storage.

Egg Freezing: Frequently Asked Questions