The number of frozen eggs increased 2.5 times from 3 years ago...What are the side effects of the egg freezing procedure?
Jan 22, 2025
A 35-year-old woman has no plans to marry yet, but has begun to pay attention to egg freezing procedures to prepare for future infertility. I searched the Internet to get prior information about the procedure, but A, who had no background knowledge at all, had no choice but to give up his mind about the procedure due to difficult terms and complicated procedures. This is because there was an unknown fear ahead of vague information related to the procedure.
Egg freezing is attracting attention as an option to prepare for the future for generations in their 20s and 30s who are not sure about the timing of marriage and childbirth. However, despite the growing interest in egg freezing, there are still barriers to leading to actual procedures due to the lack of relevant information. As it is one of the ways to prevent future infertility and preserve fertility, it can be implemented in a more concise procedure if sufficient information is obtained in advance to establish a psychological and physical basis, and through skilled medical staff.
Recently, awareness of germ cell freezing has been improved among unmarried women by dealing with related topics in various digital contents and broadcasting media.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of frozen eggs stored in domestic medical institutions was more than 100,000 as of 2023, nearly 2.5 times higher than three years ago. Last year, more than 13,000 people visited Korea's first egg freezing pop-up store 'Now Storage' held in Seongsu-dong for two weeks, showing high public interest.
"Although egg freezing is being introduced through many media and contents, it is regrettable that detailed and clear information on pre-examination and procedure is difficult to find," said Joo Chang-woo, vice president of Maria Hospital. "If you are interested in the actual procedure, it is important to acquire enough information through reliable data and start the procedure through consultation with an expert."
◇Process of egg freezing procedure
Egg freezing requires several visits to the hospital within a relatively short period of time, but if you meet experienced medical staff and start the procedure after proper consultation, you can reduce the number of visits and implement it in a more concise process. In general, when a woman visits a hospital two to three days after the start of her period, she accurately observes the initial condition in which follicle growth begins, and then conducts an initial examination to effectively administer hyperovulation.
Recently, however, in hospitals specializing in egg freezing, methods have been developed to more objectively check the number of follicles, such as female hormone tests and AMH tests through blood tests, making it possible to prepare procedures regardless of women's menstrual cycles.
The basic procedure of egg freezing is as follows. Before the procedure, check the ovarian and uterine conditions through ultrasound and hormone tests. After that, hyperovulation injections are administered for about 7-10 days from the second to third day of menstruation to grow ovarian follicles, and eggs are collected after sleep anesthesia when the largest follicle reaches a certain size. The collected eggs are stored in a vitrified freeze method after a procedure of about 10 minutes. Since the collection proceeds under sleep anesthesia, there is no pain, and after the procedure, you can return home after a certain period of rest without hospitalization, so you can quickly return to your daily life.
Prior to the procedure, an AMH test called 'ovine age test' is conducted, and if the result is good, there is no need to freeze eggs.
However, Joo recommended considering freezing eggs because "AMH tests are just tests that predict the number of eggs left in the ovary, and have nothing to do with the actual ovulation quality or pregnancy rate," adding that "Since egg quality is affected by actual age, even if women over 30 years of age recorded high levels in AMH tests, they do not have high actual pregnancy rates."," he stressed.
◇Side effects after the procedure and pregnancy rate when using frozen eggs
The government is implementing support projects for germ cell freezing procedures such as egg freezing and reducing the economic burden on procedures. According to region, income level, and AMH test results, egg freezing costs will be supported, and an additional 2 million won will be paid if frozen germ cells are used for pregnancy purposes under the frozen egg use assisted reproductive technology support project. In addition, from April, the cost of treatment for infertility procedures and egg freezing support projects are expected to be expanded nationwide to significantly ease psychological and economic barriers to egg freezing.
Egg freezing is a major option to prepare for future infertility and to flexibly manage fertility. In particular, frozen eggs maintain a high level of survival based on their excellent technology.
According to Maria Hospital's data, the survival rate of frozen eggs is more than 90%, and at least nine healthy eggs can be secured during thawing if 10 eggs are collected and frozen. This demonstrates that egg freezing is practically a reliable way to increase the likelihood of pregnancy success.
However, there are sometimes cases on the Internet where they are scared of side effects after egg freezing and give up the procedure.
For example, the information that menopause is accelerated or ovarian function is not true after egg freezing. Eggs naturally disappear by dozens or hundreds every day, and collecting eggs through procedures does not quickly reduce the number of remaining eggs. In addition, concerns that hormonal diseases worsen after the procedure have not been scientifically proven, so it is important to identify reliable sources when acquiring prior data.
Vice President Joo said, `It is of utmost importance to provide accurate information and strengthen the counseling system so that freezing eggs can be a real option for women at a time when government support is being expanded and awareness is being improved""We plan to actively support women at the hospital level so that they can receive counseling without burden and prepare for situations through individual judgment ""
Meanwhile, the government's policy to expand egg freezing support is expected to significantly improve women's fertility preservation and access to procedures. This support will be implemented nationwide regardless of income standards, and 50% of the procedure cost, including initial storage costs, will be supported up to 2 million won. As a result, eggs can be safely stored for up to five years with a self-payment of about 2 million won.
Egg freezing is attracting attention as an option to prepare for the future for generations in their 20s and 30s who are not sure about the timing of marriage and childbirth. However, despite the growing interest in egg freezing, there are still barriers to leading to actual procedures due to the lack of relevant information. As it is one of the ways to prevent future infertility and preserve fertility, it can be implemented in a more concise procedure if sufficient information is obtained in advance to establish a psychological and physical basis, and through skilled medical staff.
Recently, awareness of germ cell freezing has been improved among unmarried women by dealing with related topics in various digital contents and broadcasting media.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of frozen eggs stored in domestic medical institutions was more than 100,000 as of 2023, nearly 2.5 times higher than three years ago. Last year, more than 13,000 people visited Korea's first egg freezing pop-up store 'Now Storage' held in Seongsu-dong for two weeks, showing high public interest.
"Although egg freezing is being introduced through many media and contents, it is regrettable that detailed and clear information on pre-examination and procedure is difficult to find," said Joo Chang-woo, vice president of Maria Hospital. "If you are interested in the actual procedure, it is important to acquire enough information through reliable data and start the procedure through consultation with an expert."
◇Process of egg freezing procedure
Egg freezing requires several visits to the hospital within a relatively short period of time, but if you meet experienced medical staff and start the procedure after proper consultation, you can reduce the number of visits and implement it in a more concise process. In general, when a woman visits a hospital two to three days after the start of her period, she accurately observes the initial condition in which follicle growth begins, and then conducts an initial examination to effectively administer hyperovulation.
Recently, however, in hospitals specializing in egg freezing, methods have been developed to more objectively check the number of follicles, such as female hormone tests and AMH tests through blood tests, making it possible to prepare procedures regardless of women's menstrual cycles.
The basic procedure of egg freezing is as follows. Before the procedure, check the ovarian and uterine conditions through ultrasound and hormone tests. After that, hyperovulation injections are administered for about 7-10 days from the second to third day of menstruation to grow ovarian follicles, and eggs are collected after sleep anesthesia when the largest follicle reaches a certain size. The collected eggs are stored in a vitrified freeze method after a procedure of about 10 minutes. Since the collection proceeds under sleep anesthesia, there is no pain, and after the procedure, you can return home after a certain period of rest without hospitalization, so you can quickly return to your daily life.
Prior to the procedure, an AMH test called 'ovine age test' is conducted, and if the result is good, there is no need to freeze eggs.
However, Joo recommended considering freezing eggs because "AMH tests are just tests that predict the number of eggs left in the ovary, and have nothing to do with the actual ovulation quality or pregnancy rate," adding that "Since egg quality is affected by actual age, even if women over 30 years of age recorded high levels in AMH tests, they do not have high actual pregnancy rates."," he stressed.
◇Side effects after the procedure and pregnancy rate when using frozen eggs
The government is implementing support projects for germ cell freezing procedures such as egg freezing and reducing the economic burden on procedures. According to region, income level, and AMH test results, egg freezing costs will be supported, and an additional 2 million won will be paid if frozen germ cells are used for pregnancy purposes under the frozen egg use assisted reproductive technology support project. In addition, from April, the cost of treatment for infertility procedures and egg freezing support projects are expected to be expanded nationwide to significantly ease psychological and economic barriers to egg freezing.
Egg freezing is a major option to prepare for future infertility and to flexibly manage fertility. In particular, frozen eggs maintain a high level of survival based on their excellent technology.
According to Maria Hospital's data, the survival rate of frozen eggs is more than 90%, and at least nine healthy eggs can be secured during thawing if 10 eggs are collected and frozen. This demonstrates that egg freezing is practically a reliable way to increase the likelihood of pregnancy success.
However, there are sometimes cases on the Internet where they are scared of side effects after egg freezing and give up the procedure.
For example, the information that menopause is accelerated or ovarian function is not true after egg freezing. Eggs naturally disappear by dozens or hundreds every day, and collecting eggs through procedures does not quickly reduce the number of remaining eggs. In addition, concerns that hormonal diseases worsen after the procedure have not been scientifically proven, so it is important to identify reliable sources when acquiring prior data.
Vice President Joo said, `It is of utmost importance to provide accurate information and strengthen the counseling system so that freezing eggs can be a real option for women at a time when government support is being expanded and awareness is being improved""We plan to actively support women at the hospital level so that they can receive counseling without burden and prepare for situations through individual judgment ""
Meanwhile, the government's policy to expand egg freezing support is expected to significantly improve women's fertility preservation and access to procedures. This support will be implemented nationwide regardless of income standards, and 50% of the procedure cost, including initial storage costs, will be supported up to 2 million won. As a result, eggs can be safely stored for up to five years with a self-payment of about 2 million won.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
