It has been more than 2 decades since Chen (1986) first reported the first frozen egg birth. Since then, fewer than 800 additional “frozen egg baby” births have been reported worldwide. The reason for the slow proliferation of egg freezing is the very poor success rate reported. In fact, based on numerous reports in medical literature, each frozen egg reportedly had less than a 4% chance of ultimately resulting in a live birth. Such a poor prospect of success would hardly justify the proliferation of commercial egg banking. Yet in spite of what could be called a “false promise,” women are lining up in ever-increasing numbers at the doors of commercial egg banks that are springing up all over the show. The question to be asked is why prior efforts at egg freezing have produced such dismal results. The main reasons are:

Conventional “slow” egg freezing techniques result in ice crystal formation inside the egg, damaging it and compromising its survival.

Only about one in three eggs are chromosomally normal and “competent” (capable upon fertilization/implantation of developing into a baby). Since microscopic examination cannot distinguish between a “competent” and an “incompetent” egg, this means that at least two thirds of frozen eggs are in fact, rejects. But now, the findings of a recently reported study (Click here to view) promises to change all this.

It showed that by using a new genetic test known as comparative genomic hybridization, it is possible to identify those eggs that are “competent” (have normal chromosomes) and that by selectively ultra rapidly freezing (600 times faster than with conventional freezing) such eggs it is possible to avoid intracellular ice formation that would otherwise damage them. In this way it became possible to eliminate both important impediments to safe egg freezing and achieve a frozen egg to baby rate with 27% per egg, i.e. a seven-fold improvement.

There is little doubt that this breakthrough will soon profoundly impact the entire field of human reproduction, and in the process, expand the reproductive choices available to women. And will finally establish a sound basis for reliable Fertility Preservation (FP).

Soon, women will be able to electively undergo ovarian stimulation for egg collection with the specific purpose of storing their eggs for future use Selective vitrification of “competent” eggs will likely also herald the advent of commercial donor egg banking whereby such eggs would be made commercially available to couples seeking egg donor-IVF. This would dramatically improve availability to, and reduce the cost of donor eggs at the same time improving the efficiency of the process. Most importantly it would achieve this while ensuring high success rates and reducing the risk of high order multiple births (triplets or greater).