Freezing Eggs/Embryos

My situation is a bit unusual and I'm not sure what section it fits in so mods please move it if necessary.

I think I would like another child but I have very difficult pregnancies and I would prefer to wait for a couple of years before TTC again. Given that I have fallen pregnant both times pretty easily, I think my eggs are in good shape.

Obviously at my age it is not a great idea to wait so I'm trying to assess other options.

The most sensible one seems to be to freeze eggs/embryos until we're ready.

I haven't done ANY research about this so any links or advice anyone could give would be great.

most clinics have a preference for freezing embryos from what i have read. an egg is a single cell so if it doesnt thaw well it's gone. an embryo has multiple cells and there is more room for survival. if one cell in an 8 cell embryo doesnt survive the thaw it's not as much an issue kwim?

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most clinics have a preference for freezing embryos from what i have read. an egg is a single cell so if it doesnt thaw well it's gone. an embryo has multiple cells and there is more room for survival. if one cell in an 8 cell embryo doesnt survive the thaw it's not as much an issue kwim?

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:yeahthat:

I believe two of the main reasons eggs are frozen in Australia is for women undergoing cancer treatment or single women wanting to store eggs as they age. It is still not common and as BG says above embryos are much easier and more successful than eggs alone and luckily you have a partner to create embryos with :).

I would contact an IVF clinic near you and have a chat with them about your situation. Perhaps then get a referral to one of their Drs and discuss your situation with them. Even if you have no intention of doing it soon its worth making an appointment earlier rather than waiting as sometimes it is months to get into see the Dr and then can be a while getting a cycle underway.

There are all sorts of other issues to consider like what would you do with any unused embryos in the future if you had any left over or didn't end up using them. Also Medicare will only fund IVF if you have a medical condition hence you would pay the full fees of a cycle as it is a lifestyle decision at this stage.

I agree with both BG & Dusty..

Plus as you are in Victoria there are additional checks that have to be performed if you are undergoing IVF treatment (either for medical or lifestyle reasons).

Apart from counselling you will also have to have Police Checks and a Dept Human Services Check as well and as this is required before any treatment can commence it is good to get the paperwork out of the way first.

Good luck with your decision. Oh and I noticed you are in Woodend, you don't have to go to Melbourne for IVF treatment as there are some in regional Vic. I am a patient with Ballarat IVF and I think from memory Monash IVF has a clinic in Bendigo.

Thanks for all the info ladies.

Yep, don't have a problem with paying full fees even though there are medical reasons why I would want to delay so it's not a black and white lifestyle decision in wanting to space the kids.

The only part I have a problem with is potentially not using embryos if I decide my body can't handle another pregnancy even if we delay it.

Hi Fiona,

I wouldn't worry too much at this stage about what to do with unused embryoes (but maybe that's just me). I've done a few IVF cycles and have a whole stack frozen at the moment. Nobody has ever discussed the issue of what to do with them when I am done. Currently I pay about $200 every six months to keep them frozen and I will worry about what happens when I don't need them later. I know that in Australia you can't sell them. Not sure if you can donate them to anyone. I always just assumed I would have to sign some forms and then never think about them again. God, it sounds awful typing it!!!

However, I have never had much luck with using frozen embryoes - and success rates are generally lower than fresh ivf cycles. I think that this might be the main issue for you to consider in deciding how long to wait. All things to discuss with a fertility doc. Good luck!!!