eggs, freeze, freezing eggs

Octfire Asked:

Why can't they freeze an egg like they do the sperm?

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3 Answers

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Rachel Inbar Answered:

Sperm cells contain very little water, whereas egg cells contain much more. When frozen, the water crystallizes, expanding and destroying part of the cell, making it no longer be a viable cell, once frozen.

Egg freezing is being done, but it is a more complicated process than freezing sperm. Here's an article that might interest you about egg freezing.

Best regards,
Rachel Inbar
www.FertilityStories.com

Posted 4 years ago

<a href="http://www.fertilitystories.com/" rel="nofollow">Fertility Stories</a> - infertility experiences of people like you.

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Octfire Answered:

Thank you for your help in finding this info.

Very helpful!!

Thanks Again

Posted 4 years ago

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Melaniejoules Answered:

Sperm and embryo freezing is more of a common place then freezing unfertilized egg cells for two main reasons. Sperm cells are about 180th the size of mature egg cells, which means that there is less water in a sperm cell then an egg cell. With less water in a cell it is less likely to be damaged by ice formation (ice formation can lead to the cell rupturing). Embryos are about the same size as egg cells but after being fertilized the cell has gone through a great deal of change and is able to deal with much more stress than regular egg cells.

However, there is an advanced egg freezing technique called cryogenic preservation, that first dehydrates the cell (eliminating the risk of damage to the cell because of ice formation). They then uses a slow freezing and rapid thawing technique for the best results.

I have been doing some research online about egg freezing and based on what I have read, the success rates of egg freezing has gone up considerably since it first started and the data to date seems to suggest that the children born from frozen eggs are healthy. In my travels I have found a company called Extend Fertility www.extendfertility.com. Their website has an informative and empowering outlook of women and their choices when it comes to their reproductive health.