Cryopreservation, fertility preservation, and egg freezing has been researched by physicians and other experts for decades. This list includes some of the most enlightening and important studies performed in the field of reproductive medicine.


Effect of oocyte vitrification on embryo quality: time-lapse analysis and morphokinetic evaluation

Published: September 2017 in Fertility and Sterility

Authors: Cobo A, Coello A, Remohí J, Serrano J, de Los Santos JM, Meseguer M

Institution: Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad Valencia

This study examined 3,794 embryos created from frozen eggs in 631 cycles, and 9,935 embryos created from fresh eggs in 1,359 cycles, over a period of two years. All the eggs frozen were done so using modern technology (vitrification), which means the results are applicable to eggs frozen today. While embryos created from frozen eggs took, on average, an additional hour to divide and develop, that delay did not have an effect on the quality of the embryos: the percentage of high-grade embryos and low-grade embryos was the same for frozen eggs as it was for fresh. The implantation rate, defined as the number of gestational sacs (early-stage placentas) detected on an ultrasound, was essentially unchanged between the frozen-egg group and the fresh-egg group. And importantly, there was no statistically significant difference between the live birth rates, based on the journey of the egg.


Fertility Preservation in Women

Published: October 26, 2017 in the New England Journal of Medicine

Authors: Jacques Donnez, M.D., Ph.D., & Marie‑Madeleine Dolmans, M.D., Ph.D.

Institution: Société de Recherche pour l’Infertilité

This review of the current research into fertility preservation options for women with cancer, women with other health conditions, and women who want to preserve their fertility for personal reasons concludes that oocyte vitrification (egg freezing) is the “best strategy” for women facing age-related infertility, “yielding a cumulative live-birth rate of 60.5% among healthy women” who freeze before they’re 35.


Use of cryo-banked oocytes in an ovum donation programme: a prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical trial.

Published: June 30, 2010 in Human Reproduction, Vol. 25, No. 9

Authors: Ana Cobo, Marcos Meseguer, José Remohí, Antonio Pellicer

Institution: Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad (IVI), University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

This randomized controlled trial of over 600 egg recipients (women undergoing IVF with an egg from a donor) was designed to compare the outcome of vitrified-banked (frozen and thawed) eggs with the “gold standard” procedure of using fresh eggs. The result: ongoing pregnancy rates were roughly similar between the group using frozen eggs and the group using fresh, confirming the “non-inferiority” of frozen eggs.


FAQs

We understand you might have a lot of questions. That’s a good thing! We’ve collected a few of the most frequently asked questions for reference here, but if there’s something we haven’t covered, the healthcare team is just a phone call away.

Studies say

Cryopreservation, fertility preservation, and egg freezing have been researched by physicians and other experts for decades. This list includes some of the most enlightening and important studies published in the field of reproductive medicine.

Glossary

We try to keep things simple, but sometimes, we have to use medical lingo to be as accurate as possible. This glossary is here as a reference, just in case we ever use a phrase that’s not familiar to you.

Forms & resources

Current and prospective patients can find paperwork and resources for medication, insurance, and more here.

Fertility statistics by age

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times—age is the most important factor in fertility. But what does that really mean?