37 Egg Bank (Egg Freezing)

Egg freezing is a medical procedure that involves cryogenically freezing oocytes to enhance the possibility of future
pregnancy in women who wish to have greater control over the age of marriage and giving birth.

The need for egg freezing and banking has increased as greater numbers of women enter the workforce and the age of
marriage and childbearing goes up. A woman’s fertility decreases steadily as she ages, with a drastic drop appearing after age 37, reducing greatly the ovarian function and the likelihood of pregnancy at later ages.

Egg freezing and egg banking involves the cryopreservation of good oocytes at a younger age, when postponement of
childbearing is anticipated.


This will allow for a higher success rate when attempting future pregnancies using previously frozen eggs.

The advantages of oocyte banking at CHA Medical Center
Slush Nitrogen (SN2) Vitrification

Allows for extremely rapid freezing to prevent the development of intracellular crystals, leading to preservation of oocytes with little to no damage incurred.

Cutting-edge Long-term Storage System

Our liquid nitrogen steam is capable of storing oocytes without long-term damage. High rates of successful pregnancy using top-quality cryogenic technology and the best-quality frozen oocytes.

Procedure

From the onset of menstruation cycle, the female patient is stimulated by injected medications to develop multiple follicles in the ovaries for about 6~10 days. Blood and ultrasound testing are requested every 2~4 days to monitor the development of the follicles in the ovaries. When a sufficient number of follicles are mature, a transvaginal ultrasound-guided egg retrieval (egg aspiration) procedure is performed to remove the eggs from the follicles. Because it is conducted under sedation, there is no pain and the procedure takes around 10 minutes. The extracted eggs are then frozen and stored for future use.

Who should consider Egg Banking?
  • Women with signs or risk of premature menopause
  • Women whose marriage is delayed due to social activities, or whom wishes to preserve healthy
    eggs when they’re young to use for future childbirth
  • Cancer Patients: Risk of ovarian failure through cancer treatment
  • Women whose husband’s sperm cannot be collected after oocyte retrieval
  • Women with concerns about the development of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS)
CHA Achievements
  • 2005

    Prize Paper Award for ”Successful application of oocytes vitrification using slush nitrogen” by the American society of Reproductive Medicine and Canadian Fertility and Andrology society

  • 2000

    Prize Paper Award for "First pregnancy and delivery from oocytes vitrification using GRID" by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine

  • 1998

    Prize Poster Awards for "Development of Oocyte Vitrification" by International Federation of Fertility Societies and American Society for Reproductive Medicine

FAQ
Q. Why do I need to freeze my eggs?

The need for egg freezing and banking has increased as greater numbers of women choose to delay childbearing until later in life for many reasons : career advancement, completion of their education, travel, finding the right spouse, financial security, etc. Unfortunately, a woman’s fertility decreases steadily as she ages, with a drastic drop starting after age 37, reducing her ovarian function greatly and the likelihood of pregnancy at later ages. CHA Fertility Center, a global leader in fertility treatment, offers the choice to protect and preserve your future fertility.

Q. Who should consider Egg banking?
  • Women with signs or risk of premature ovarian failure
  • Women whose marriage is delayed due to social activities, or whom wishes to preserve healthy eggs at a
    younger age to use for future childbirth
  • Women with cancer : cancer treatment requiring chemotherapy that may affect fertility
  • Women whose husband’s sperm cannot be collected after egg retrieval
  • Women with concerns about the development of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS)
Q. How long is 1 cycle of Egg banking?

Every woman’s cycle varies, but the approximate duration is about two weeks.


[Sample schedule] Egg banking schedule for an int’l patient.

Date Menstrual cycle Contents
Aug 7 Day 1 Start of period, make appointment
Aug 8 Day 2 Hospital visit (consultation, basic tests)
Aug 9 Day 3 Inject medication
Aug 13 Day 7 Hospital visit(ultrasound)
Aug 17 Day 11 Hospital visit, confirm retrieval date
Aug 18 Day 12 Retrieval, Freezing
Aug 20 Day 14 Result consultation, Departure
Q. How much does it cost?

An approximate estimate for 1 cycle of egg banking is 7,000,000KRW.

Includes :
  • Specialist consultations
  • Screening : lab tests, diagnostics, etc
  • Stimulation medications
  • Ultrasound
  • Anesthesia
  • Surgical procedure
  • Freezing*(storage for 3 years)

Extra procedures, tests, screening may be performed with extra medical costs.
The costs include storage for 3 years. After 3 years, there is an annual storage fee of approx 250,000~300,000KRW.
Q.How long can my eggs be stored?
Eggs(oocytes) can be frozen indefinitely.
Q. What are the risks I can face?

Possible risks from medications can be ovarian hyperstimulation which include symptoms such as nausea, bloating, abdominal discomfort, weight gain, or shortness of breath. Possible risks from egg retrieval procedure include vaginal bleeding, infection, hemoperitoneum, and/or bladder injury. In cases of premature ovulation or empty follicle syndrome, we may not be able to retrieve any eggs. Therefore, egg retrieval does not guarantee egg freezing or embryo transfer.