The thought of freezing your eggs sounds intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. O&G specialist Dr Lim Min Yu tells us more.
In today’s modern world, women are no longer confined to the home. They’re pursuing degrees, climbing up the corporate ladder, making their dreams happen and so much more. However, what happens when the biological clock keeps ticking? Freezing your eggs may be the golden ticket to buying more time, but where do you even start? To find out more, we sat down with Dr Lim Min Yu, a skilled IVF clinician with over 10 years of experience from Astra Women’s & Fertility Specialists.
Everything you need to know about egg freezing in Singapore
1. How does egg freezing work?
Similar to in-vitro fertilisation, the woman is given a series of hormone injections over two weeks, with a final injection when the eggs are mature. The eggs are extracted, examined by an embryologist, and flash-frozen in a process called vitrification. The more eggs you freeze, the better your chances!
2. Who should consider freezing their eggs?
Freezing eggs is a way of preserving the healthy eggs of women. It can be done due to medical reasons, or simply if the woman isn’t ready to have a baby during her peak reproductive years (also known as social or elective egg freezing).
3. What are some myths about egg freezing?
Myth 1: I can freeze my eggs at any age.
Truth: A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, so the success of egg freezing will vary with age.
Myth 2: I will definitely have a baby from my frozen eggs.
Truth: There’s no guarantee as there are many other factors at play.
4. What are the side effects?
Common side effects include pain and bruising at injection sites. Some women experience bloating and a swollen abdomen due to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Research to date hasn’t shown an increased risk of babies having birth defects as a result of egg freezing.
5. Need-to-know facts about egg freezing:
- In Singapore, egg freezing is only allowed for medical reasons, and not social or elective reasons.
- Ladies should consider doing it before 35, so as to ensure optimum quality of the eggs.
- There’s no maximum time limit for the eggs to be kept frozen; they’ll be just as young and fresh as they were at the time of freezing.
- The frozen eggs are kept in storage tanks filled with liquid nitrogen in assisted reproduction centres.
- The estimated cost of one egg freezing cycle is $15,000.
- If you wish to do elective egg freezing, you can do so in countries like Australia, Malaysia, Spain, Thailand, the UK and the US.
The subject of freezing your eggs might seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Take the first step of learning more about women’s health by booking an appointment with Dr Lim here or via video consult on Hidoc, a teleconsultation platform. Once you’ve gotten everything you need to know about the process, you can make a decision that’s best for you.
This post is in partnership with Singapore Medical Group.