Experience using your own frozen eggs?

[Anonymous]

Would love to hear about experiences of anyone using their own frozen eggs.

I froze 21 mature eggs electively at age 33 using vitrification. I then met my now husband and had a child conceived without intervention at age 37. I'm now 42 and I'm really feeling the pull for a second. My doctor says that on average I have a good shot but who knows. I'm
Debating trying a fresh round of ivf before going to frozen as an additional backup.

[Anonymous]

Oh that's a hard one, what does your RE say? What are your numbers like? How easily did you conceive your first?

My first instinct would be to say that 21 33-year old eggs give you much better odds than 42 year old eggs, but freezing technology 9 years ago was much different. If finances aren't a barrier, can you thaw and fertilize your frozen eggs? See how many PGS normals you get then decide? That should only be a 1-2 cycle delay, and you can always try on your own while you wait.

[Anonymous]

I would try on my own for 3 months because I don't like wasting money, but if the money for IVF isn't much to you - go for it.

[Anonymous]

My re says my decision but since they used the most up to date freezing technology my eggs should have an 80% survival rate and he doesn't see much benefit in my older eggs. I think his view is along the lines of yours. Make embryos and if the numbers are worse than we thought we can discuss.

No idea what my numbers are now - they were good at 37. No issues conceiving our first. On the male side we are good but due to cancer now in remission my husband had to freeze sperm and we almost certainly need to do assisted reproduction.

[Anonymous]

If money is not an issue do one cycle of your current eggs and see what happens. If finances are an issue try on your own for 3 months then use the frozen eggs for one cycle.

[Anonymous]

One thing that you may not have considered - if you do a cycle of IVF at 42, most likely they will want to freeze the embryos to send them in for genetic testing. So, you would potentially be doing a frozen transfer either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My re says my decision but since they used the most up to date freezing technology my eggs should have an 80% survival rate and he doesn't see much benefit in my older eggs. I think his view is along the lines of yours. Make embryos and if the numbers are worse than we thought we can discuss.

No idea what my numbers are now - they were good at 37. No issues conceiving our first. On the male side we are good but due to cancer now in remission my husband had to freeze sperm and we almost certainly need to do assisted reproduction.

In that case, just thaw, fertilize, and see what happens. No point in going through IVF to try to get 42 year old eggs when you have 21 eggs with much better odds sitting there. Particularly because you haven't had all of the testing recently, so they'll need to spend a few cycles getting updated test results before you can even start stimming. I don't know of any clinic that would do IVF without an HSG and hormone levels, so you may as well try your frozen eggs while you get all of that done.

[Anonymous]

OP, I was in your shoes a couple of years ago and opted to use my frozen eggs (19 eggs frozen at age 36). After thaw (at age 41), fertilization and growing to Day 7, I was left with three medium quality embryos (untested). I transferred the first - nothing. I transferred the last two together and now have a healthy one year old baby. It sounds like you also froze when the technology was relatively new, so it's hard to say how many eggs will survive thaw, and then how many of those will successfully grow to blastocyst stage. My RE counseled against PGT for the frozen egg embryos because her theory was that they were already so delicate from being frozen eggs that it was best to just transfer. I was somewhat hesitant, but glad I followed her advice. Good luck! Let me know if you have further questions. Also, check out the 40-year-old egg freezing thread - several other women posted about successfully using their frozen eggs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My re says my decision but since they used the most up to date freezing technology my eggs should have an 80% survival rate and he doesn't see much benefit in my older eggs. I think his view is along the lines of yours. Make embryos and if the numbers are worse than we thought we can discuss.

No idea what my numbers are now - they were good at 37. No issues conceiving our first. On the male side we are good but due to cancer now in remission my husband had to freeze sperm and we almost certainly need to do assisted reproduction.

In that case, just thaw, fertilize, and see what happens. No point in going through IVF to try to get 42 year old eggs when you have 21 eggs with much better odds sitting there. Particularly because you haven't had all of the testing recently, so they'll need to spend a few cycles getting updated test results before you can even start stimming. I don't know of any clinic that would do IVF without an HSG and hormone levels, so you may as well try your frozen eggs while you get all of that done.

I'm the PP who used my frozen eggs. Just FYI, you will still have to go through quite a bit of testing to use your frozen eggs. I had to get a complete physical and a mammogram (because I was over 40) as well as extensive bloodwork. While it is less complicated than a fresh IVF cycle, it's still a lot of doctor's visits and you still have to do the traditional CD2/3 ultrasound and bloodwork to get going.

[Anonymous]

/\ absolutely, but OP can try to freeze and fertilize while she’s doing that testing. There’s no downside to that.

[Anonymous]

Since OP has frozen eggs, she knows what a stim and retrieval cycle means.

OP - do you want to do that again if you don't have to?

I'd personally say, no, and go for it with your frozen eggs as quickly as possible. If it works, fabulous, and if it doesn't, get onto a fresh cycle ASAP.

Best of luck.

BTW - I did a series of stim cycles at age 41 and 42 - 3 cycles actually, to bank just 8 eggs. Eventually we thawed, fertilized from frozen sperm, and transferred 2 3-day embryos, and I have a lovely 4 year old son.