How and why freeze your eggs?

Since when has the procedure for freezing eggs existed and why?

Since August 2021, women in France have been able to freeze their eggs free of charge without medical reasons. This innovative medical technique offers women the opportunity to preserve their eggs for future use.

Before 2021, this technique was initially reserved for women facing health problems that could affect their fertility, such as medical treatments like chemotherapy, or those undergoing medical intervention such as ovarian surgery, deep endometriosis, etc.

In this video of Simply Well: Why did I freeze my eggs? Jennifer, co-founder of Gapianne, discusses the key steps of egg storage, the emotions she experienced, and the advice she would give to those considering this process.📌

Who can freeze their eggs?

In 2021, bioethics legislation expanded the options for freezing gametes, which are no longer restricted to medical reasons or couples. Single women and couples (heterosexual or not) can access it; to be eligible, you must be between 29 and 37 years old (note that the operation is feasible up until the day before your 37th birthday).

What is the cost of egg preservation?

Although the stimulation process and the puncture operation are completely free and covered by social security, the preservation of gametes remains the patient's responsibility, costing around 40 euros per year.

Each year, a written letter is sent to the person who carried out the procedure to ask them if they wish to:

• Continue conservation with a view to medically assisted procreation (with spouse or donor), up to the age of 45, with costs of around forty euros for all CECOS (Center for the Study and Conservation of Human Eggs and Sperm).
• Stop conservation, specifying the future of your gametes:
• Donate to people waiting for a gamete donation
• Donate to scientific research
• Terminate retention (destruction)

What is egg freezing?

This innovative medical technique offers people with vulvas the possibility of preserving their eggs for later use.

After collection, the oocytes are quickly cryopreserved by vitrification at -196° in liquid nitrogen . They are then stored in a Center for the Study and Conservation of Human Eggs and Sperm (CECOS). In France, oocytes can be used until the 45th birthday. The length of time oocytes are stored does not affect their chances of survival or their quality.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of egg freezing?

There are several advantages to using egg freezing:

• Preserve your gametes for a future pregnancy .
• It has no impact on natural fertility : the eggs collected are those that would have been evacuated by the body during menstruation. This does not change the ability to conceive naturally.
• Eggs can be used up to the age of 45.
• There is no fertilization before freezing, so the eggs are the exclusive property of the person performing the procedure . (This is not the case when the eggs are fertilized with a partner's sperm, for example: in these cases, the gametes are the shared property of both partners, who must each give their consent for their use.)

Disadvantages of egg freezing:

• The care process, depending on the AMP center, can be long , with an average of between one and two years from the appointment to the operation.

• Please note that egg freezing does not guarantee pregnancy . Depending on the individual's age, the number of eggs frozen, etc., the success rate for pregnancy may vary.

• Hormonal stimulation lasts 10 to 15 days on average (every woman is different), and is punctuated by daily injections, blood tests, and ultrasounds. Hormonal stimulation can affect, among other things, mood and general well-being, cause abdominal and breast pain of varying severity, nausea, vomiting, etc. Even after the puncture has been performed, there may still be side effects.

The 10-step medical process for freezing your eggs

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1. Where can I make an appointment to freeze my eggs?

Egg freezing is performed in assisted reproductive technology (ART) centers. However, not all ART centers are authorized to carry out the fertility preservation process without medical reasons ; only a few centers currently offer this possibility in France.

Finding an authorized center and getting the first appointment was the step that took us the longest. Each AMP center operates differently when it comes to scheduling appointments (doctolib, online form, via the secretary's office, etc.), and it's not easy to obtain information. Once identified —be careful, depending on the location—the waiting times can be very long (more than a year).

Dulcy has conducted extensive research to provide you with all the information you need to identify an assisted reproduction center near you and make an appointment. Find Dulcy's complete list of assisted reproduction centers in France.

You can also find this information in our directory of women's health practitioners , including fertility doctors if you need them.

2. The first appointment for egg freezing

A gynecologist will explain the treatment protocol to you and prescribe the tests to be carried out :

• An ultrasound to determine the number of follicles present in each ovary
• A blood and hormone test. These tests will help (among other things) determine the ovarian stimulation treatment you will follow.
• The healthcare practitioner will also give you the form for 100% coverage by social security at this time.

3. Which specialists did you meet during the egg freezing protocol?

After the first appointment at the IVF center with a gynecologist, you will have an appointment with a biologist to explain the stimulation procedure and the egg retrieval. You will also meet with an anesthesiologist who will explain how the retrieval is performed before the egg stimulation. Depending on your IVF center and personal situation, you may be required to meet other

4. Other appointments at the AMP center after the examinations have been prescribed

• At your second appointment with the gynecologist, they will interpret your exam results and discuss with you the start date for hormonal stimulation treatment.
• During this second appointment, the date of the hormonal stimulation treatment is also determined with the gynecologist according to your cycle, the availability at the AMP center and that of the gynecologists, he/she gives you the prescriptions for your ovarian stimulation treatment.

5. How does hormonal stimulation work during oocyte preservation?

For about ten days (the length of stimulation depends on the woman, count between 10 and 15 days), your ovaries are stimulated by daily hormone injections . The response of your ovaries is checked throughout the treatment with a minimum of 3 pelvic ultrasounds and blood tests.

Here are the main things to know about what happens during hormonal stimulation:

• These examinations are carried out in the AMP center.
• You will be asked to stay in your area for a month so that you can easily complete the tests at the AMP center, during stimulation and after the puncture.
• If you are afraid of needles, you may consider making an appointment with a nurse to administer daily hormone injections.
• The injection schedule is fixed and having a trusted person who can help you with them can be reassuring.

6. Oocyte puncture

Oocyte puncture is performed when the follicles have grown sufficiently; their progress is determined by regular ultrasounds at the ART center.

The egg retrieval is performed vaginally under ultrasound guidance. Anesthesia can be general or local, and this is to be determined by your gynecologist. The procedure lasts about twenty minutes. You can usually leave a few hours later, but you must be accompanied.

Oocyte puncture is performed using a probe with a puncture needle to retrieve mature oocytes as shown in the diagram below.

7. How many eggs should be frozen?

After the puncture, the biologist will inform you of the number of frozen oocytes: generally the oocyte conservation objective is a minimum of 10 frozen oocytes before the age of 35 and a minimum of 15 oocytes after the age of 35.

It may be necessary to perform several egg retrievals to obtain a satisfactory number of eggs. This discussion is made with the center's medical team; each woman is different, and this data is based on the following scientific study:

Please note that these data are not representative of the pregnancy success rate outside of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Self-preservation of eggs does not guarantee 100% pregnancy and birth, regardless of the number of eggs frozen.

8. How are frozen oocytes stored?

After retrieval, your eggs are frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C. The length of time your eggs are stored has no impact on their survival or quality.

9. How is oocyte preservation carried out at CECOS?

Each year, you will receive notification of your oocyte preservation contract by mail in which you will need to indicate whether you wish to:

• Continue conservation with a view to medically assisted procreation (with spouse or donor), up to your 45th birthday, with a fee of 40.50 euros for all CECOS (Center for the Study and Conservation of Human Eggs and Sperm)

• Stop conservation, specifying the future of your gametes:

• Donate to people waiting for a gamete donation

• Donate to scientific research

• Terminate retention (destruction)

10. How do I use my frozen eggs?

When you want to use your eggs, they will be thawed and fertilized (with a partner's or donor's sperm). Typically, a single fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus. If the procedure isn't successful, it's repeated with another, and so on. Once fertilized, if you're using a partner's sperm, you'll need their permission to use the fertilized eggs.

10 Essential Things to Know Before Embarking on the Egg Freezing Journey

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NB: These steps are provided for informational purposes only. Each AMP center has its own processes, so the steps listed above may vary slightly depending on the AMP center you choose.

Testimonials on egg freezing, the founders of Gapianne speak out:

Two of Gapianne's founders, Jennifer Mouillot and Anne-Cécile Descaillot, spoke on BFM TV to share their experiences as patients.

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Gapianne organized a live event in partnership with Dulcy to share in more detail their experiences as patients using egg freezing: Watch the conversation between Delphine Moulu, co-founder of Duly and president of Femtech France, with Jennifer Mouillot and Anne-Cécile Descaillot, co-founders of Gapianne.

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Gapianne works in partnership with Dulcy to provide you with access to quality content on the egg freezing journey.

Find the list of all centers in France that perform egg freezing in partnership with Dulcy.

Dulcy is an association dedicated to helping you, whether you are undergoing assisted reproduction or egg freezing. Dulcy's mission is to support you in the clearest, most transparent, and most reliable way possible. We share medical information and advice from healthcare professionals, as well as feedback from experiences we would have liked to have as patients.

Find on Dulcy :

- The list of AMP centers in France to make an appointment

- The guide to freezing your eggs