egg freezing FAQ

reader submitted questions about the egg freezing process

It’s been a few months since the egg freezing and retrieval process, and I’ve received some questions along the way. This is a comprehensive FAQ, and includes everything I wish I knew beforehand.

Read on for:

• general, personal, and financial questions

• thoughts on doing another round

• Range class recommendations for the process

• supportive nutrition and lifestyle suggestions

• A 3-day meal plan and grocery list for egg freezing weeks

And in case you missed it:

egg freezing, week 1

egg freezing, week 2

Egg freezing, part 3

As always, this is not a substitute for medical advice. Reach out to your healthcare team for personalized questions and recommendations.

And if you are someone facing infertility, my heart is with you, and this may be a post to skip.

General Questions

1. What is egg freezing?
   Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) is a fertility preservation method where eggs are harvested, frozen, and stored for future use. In a natural menstrual cycle, the body typically matures one dominant follicle (which contains one egg). In an egg freezing cycle, hormone medications are used to stimulate the ovaries to mature multiple follicles at once — aiming to retrieve as many eggs as possible.

2. Which hormones are affected?

   1. FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone): stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles (each with one egg). You take FSH injections (e.g., Gonal-F, Follistim) to boost this hormone higher than normal levels, encouraging multiple follicles to mature.

   2. LH (Luteinizing Hormone): triggers ovulation mid-cycle. LH is suppressed early on, then mimicked later with a "trigger shot" (such as, hCG, Lupron, or Ovidrel) to time egg maturation for retrieval.

   3. Estrogen (Estradiol): builds up the uterine lining and reflects follicle growth. Estradiol levels rise significantly, sometimes 10x higher than a natural cycle, because more follicles = more estrogen.

   4. Progesterone: Prepares the uterus for implantation after ovulation. Usually stays low until after retrieval. No natural ovulation occurs, so there’s no significant progesterone rise unless part of a fertility treatment

3. Can you give an example of a sample medication cycle?

   Take this with a grain of salt because everyone’s injection plan is different. Some start with a birth control pill, though given my cycle is regular, that wasn’t part of my process.

   The first phase is the stimulation phase (8–14 days):

   1. Daily FSH injections stimulate the ovaries.

   2. Estrogen levels rise rapidly due to growing follicles.

   3. LH is kept low to prevent premature ovulation, sometimes using antagonists like Ganirelix or Cetrotide.

   Then the trigger phase occurs (36 hours before retrieval). A trigger shot mimics the LH surge, finalizing egg maturation. This carefully timed surge tells your body it's ready for retrieval.

   Then comes the post-retrieval phase. After egg retrieval, hormone levels drop. Some feel a crash in estrogen, which can cause mood swings, fatigue, or light bleeding. Your body resumes its natural hormonal rhythm in a week or two.

4. What was your medication cycle?