Egg Freezing
General Resources
- https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/obgyn/fertility/egg-freezing
- https://extendfertility.com/egg-freezing-for-transgender-men/
- https://kindbody.com/egg-freezing-nyc/
- https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/04/transgender-fertility-preservation/
- https://fertilityspace.io/blog/the-egg-freezing-process-and-timeline-here-s-what-to-expect-each-day
Disclaimer
Nothing in this page should be construed as giving individuals medical advice on what they should do. It is written for informational reasons to give individuals a broad understanding of the process. Everyone will be different, with different medical histories and risk factors. Everyone should consult directly with their doctor before making any decisions!
Starting the Process
The process will start by emailing or calling a clinic, such as the ones shared above. This clinic will figure out the logistics for age/consent, the price of medication and procedure, and expected health check-ins with a primary doctor.
Medications
Many clients need to start estrogen before the egg freezing medication process, especially if a patient has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) or have started testosterone. Birth control is sometimes used for the needed estrogen. The medication can typically be taken regardless of where someone is in their cycle, but with all things listed here please check with the doctor.
The egg freezing clinic may have you use a pharmacy separate from them, if they don’t have an integrated pharmacy. The actual egg freezing medications likely will come in a large box with everything that is needed. Often they are administered via subcutaneous injection or possibly pen, similar to an epi-pen. Each medication will be discussed with the client in detail, with appropriate instructions for administration and storage. Always consult with your healthcare team on this.
Clients can be told to expect symptoms like bloating, anxiety or fatigue and other things that can common when experience a period such as breast tenderness, mood swings, and hot or cold flashes. This varies between person and everything should be discussed with the healthcare team for any concerns or expectations or how to minimize discomfort.
Appointments
It’s often expected that you will need ultrasounds and blood work prior to the procedure. Such things would include a transvaginal ultrasound before medication. This can vary between client based on health history and any concern the team might have. For relative healthy individuals they might only expect one ultrasound and some minor bloodwork.
Procedure
This can be done under anesthesia, but individuals can also do it while awake through managing pain/discomfort with medication. Time for procedure can vary, but one can expect something like an hour to collect the eggs. This can lead vaginal discomfort, grogginess, and increased appetite after the procedure. But all results can vary and should be discussed with the care team to manage expectations for the individual.
Price
The price can typically range between $8,000 and $15,000, not accounting for maintaining the frozen eggs. The cost of that may be reduced for the first year, but can be close to a thousand dollars each year after.