If you’re thinking about freezing your eggs, you may wonder what the process involves and how much time it will take. Fertility nurse Brandis Montez, who has also gone through egg freezing herself, walks us through each step of this empowering journey. 

Here’s what to expect:

A Quick Overview of the Egg Freezing Process

The entire egg-freezing process generally takes around two weeks from start to finish. While that may sound lengthy, Brandis assures us that it flies by and won’t disrupt your life as much as you might think!

Step 1: Getting Started on Day One

To begin, you’ll typically call your clinic on the first day of your cycle. Cycle day one is the first day of full menstrual flow before noon. From there, you’ll schedule a baseline appointment, usually around cycle days 3 or 4.

Step 2: Baseline Appointment

At this first appointment, your clinic will do an ultrasound and bloodwork to check that your follicles—tiny “egg houses” in your ovaries—are a manageable size and that your hormone levels are stable. This baseline helps your care team see where things stand before you start medications.

Step 3: 9-12 Days of Injectable Medications

For the next 9 to 12 days, you’ll take hormone injections. These injectable hormones are versions of what’s naturally in your body; they’ll help stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Every few days, you’ll have an ultrasound and bloodwork to monitor your response. If your care team sees a need to adjust dosages, they can do that based on these check-ins.

Step 4: Time for the Trigger Shot

Once more than half of your follicles reach a mature size, it’s time for the trigger shot. This is a crucial step in the egg-freezing process, as it sends your eggs through their final stages of maturation. Your egg retrieval will happen about 35-36 hours after the trigger shot.

Step 5: Egg Retrieval Day

The egg retrieval procedure itself is quick and straightforward. You’ll be under sedation, so you won’t feel any discomfort. Using a transvaginal ultrasound and a tiny needle, your doctor will retrieve the eggs from your ovaries. Right before you leave, you’ll learn how many eggs were collected.

Step 6: Freezing Your Eggs

Not every egg is ready for freezing right away. Any mature eggs collected on retrieval day will be frozen, while any immature eggs will spend a night in the lab. If they mature by the following day, they’ll be frozen; otherwise, they are safely discarded.

The day after retrieval, you’ll receive a call letting you know the total number of eggs frozen.

This guide should give you a clear understanding of what’s involved in egg freezing! By following these steps, you can prepare yourself for a smooth and efficient process. 

Whether you’re freezing eggs to take control of your fertility timeline or planning ahead for future family-building, you’re taking a step toward a more empowered future.