Egg freezing
As women age, both the quantity and quality of their eggs deteriorate, making it more difficult to conceive. By freezing your eggs, you can extend your fertile period and improve your chances of having children later in life. Livio Gothenburg was the first IVF clinic in Sweden to successfully help couples have their longed-for child through egg freezing as early as 2011. Today, all our clinics perform this treatment.
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing can be a method to extend one's fertile period if, for various reasons, one wishes to postpone starting a family. The development of improving egg cell freezing, thawing, and fertilization technology has progressed rapidly. The technique for freezing egg cells, vitrification, yields good results and makes it possible to freeze egg cells both efficiently and safely. Women undergoing egg freezing typically take injections (hormone-stimulating medications) for about 2 weeks to allow as many eggs as possible to mature before they are retrieved. Most patients may need more than one treatment cycle to freeze enough eggs for future use.
Who is it for?
- Women who do not want a baby now but believe they will in the future
- Women with certain medical conditions that require they preserve their fertility before their treatment (e.g. cancer)
- Those that want greater freedom to choose the best time for them to try to have a baby
- Biological women choosing to transition to a man and wishing to freeze their eggs beforehand
What are the benefits of Egg Freezing?
There are many reasons why women choose to freeze their eggs. Some may not have found the right partner yet, and others need or wish to focus on their studies or career before starting a family.
For some, it may be an urgent medical decision; facing a diagnosis such as cancer or being at risk of early menopause. Egg freezing treatment is a significant step for women's reproductive options and the chance to make important decisions about their future.
Your Egg Freezing Journey: step-by-step
Fertility Assessment
The first step is to undergo a fertility assessment. This assessment analyzes the woman's ovarian capacity through a vaginal ultrasound and AMH blood test.
First Consultation
During the initial doctor's visit, a comprehensive review of your fertility assessment is conducted, including factors such as your age, previous treatments, lifestyle factors, and medical history. A gynecological examination with an ultrasound of the uterus and ovaries is also performed, and additional tests may be recommended if needed. Your future treatment plan is also discussed at this stage.
Hormone Stimulation
Treatment begins with hormone stimulation, planned and initiated with one of our midwives or nurses. The woman is stimulated with endogenous hormones (FSH) to encourage multiple follicles to grow. Daily injections start a few days into the menstrual cycle, which are easy to self-administer. After about 5-6 days of injections, an additional medication is given to prevent premature ovulation. The stimulation is closely monitored with ultrasounds, and when the follicles reach sufficient size, an injection is given to mature the eggs for fertilization. This process takes about two weeks.
Egg Retrieval and Fertilization
Eggs are retrieved from the woman's ovaries using vaginal ultrasound guidance.
Freezing of Eggs
Your eggs are immediately frozen for future use.
Possible Side Effects of Egg Freezing
During the latter part of hormone stimulation, the abdomen may feel tense and tender due to enlarged ovaries. It's also common to feel emotionally affected during these days.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) occurs in 1-2% of IVF cases. Symptoms include abdominal swelling, pain, and difficulty breathing, usually appearing after embryo transfer. Treatment varies with severity, from rest and clinic monitoring to hospital care. There's an increased risk of blood clots, and blood-thinning treatment may be necessary.
The risk of OHSS has significantly decreased with shorter hormone stimulation (antagonist protocol).
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During the latter part of hormone stimulation, the abdomen may feel tense and tender due to enlarged ovaries. It's also common to feel emotionally affected during these days.
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Overstimulation (OHSS) occurs in 1-2% of cases during in vitro fertilization. A given dose of hormone causes growth of too many egg follicles, the abdomen swells, it hurts, and breathing may feel heavy. Measures for overstimulation vary with severity. Usually, rest and check-ups at the clinic are sufficient, but sometimes hospital care is required. There's an increased risk of blood clots, and blood-thinning treatment may be necessary.
Our prices
An IVF treatment is an individual process. Therefore, it is also difficult to estimate the total cost of treatment leading to a pregnancy. Within the Livio group, we strive to maintain as consistent pricing as possible, but the varying conditions at different clinics may sometimes result in slight price differences from clinic to clinic. Please feel free to consult us, and we will guide you!
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Your funding options
In collaboration with Human Finans, Livio offers the possibility of advantageous loans and financing for your fertility treatment. For example, it is possible to take an interest-free loan for an IVF treatment and split the payment over 6 or 12 months.
You can contact Human Finans by phone at 08-560 201 15 or visit their website for more information and free advice.
Egg Freezing - Frequently Asked Questions
We assess the egg reserve in all women who undergo an investigation with us. For women older than 39, we can sometimes start with an egg reserve investigation to then decide if it is reasonable to offer further treatment.
We recommend at least two egg freezing cycles to have a good chance for pregnancy later on. Repetition is the key to success in all fertility treatment. After three IVF treatments with associated frozen transfers, three out of four women under 39 become pregnant.
An appointment for investigation is booked within one to two weeks. Then you come to the clinic in the morning for blood tests. Afterwards, a doctor's appointment is booked within a month where you receive the test results and an ultrasound examination is performed. The treatment itself can be started immediately depending on the type of treatment the doctor recommends.
Most feel physically well during the treatment. It is common to feel a little more tired than usual during the injection treatment, a little tense and swollen in the stomach, and you may have an increased amount of discharge. Some may get a little headache, and it's okay to use pain relievers containing paracetamol.
During the IVF treatment, there are usually 1-2 short visits for ultrasound assessment of follicle growth and when it is appropriate to empty the follicles. On the day when the eggs are retrieved, it is appropriate not to work as you spend a couple of hours at the clinic and you may feel a bit tired and sore in the stomach afterwards.
The Livio clinics - your Nordic partner
Livio is the largest provider of fertility treatments in the Nordic countries with clinics in Sweden, Norway and Iceland. Our aim is to provide the highest quality fertility treatments and best results in the area of reproductive medicine.
