Oocyte cryopreservation, commonly known as egg freezing, is a medical procedure designed to preserve a woman’s fertility. The process involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, retrieving them, and then flash-freezing them using vitrification. This method suspends the eggs in time, preventing the natural age-related decline in quality and quantity. Freezing eggs offers the potential to delay childbearing by utilizing younger, healthier eggs later.
Ovarian Reserve and Egg Quality at Age 44
The primary challenges of freezing eggs at age 44 involve fundamental biological changes affecting both egg quantity and quality. Ovarian reserve, the total number of remaining eggs, declines rapidly after the late 30s, resulting in fewer eggs retrieved per cycle. Specialists estimate this quantity using Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) blood tests and Antral Follicle Counts (AFC) via ultrasound.
Egg quality, the likelihood of an egg having a normal number of chromosomes (euploidy), is the most significant hurdle. The vast majority of eggs retrieved at this age have chromosomal abnormalities, known as aneuploidy. The rate of aneuploidy in embryos derived from eggs of a 44-year-old woman is estimated to reach 88% to 90%.
Live Birth Success Rates and Required Egg Yield
The live birth success rate for women who freeze eggs at age 44 is statistically low due to poor egg quality. Data shows the live birth rate for women aged 43 to 44 using their own eggs is typically 1% to 5% per cycle. Some studies report a cumulative live birth rate as low as 1.2% for women 44 and older.
Achieving a live birth requires navigating a significant attrition rate, as many retrieved eggs do not become a viable embryo. Due to the high rate of aneuploidy at age 44, a woman needs a significantly higher number of eggs to yield a single chromosomally normal embryo.
Experts estimate a woman at age 44 may need to retrieve approximately 18 to 30 eggs to have a reasonable chance of obtaining one euploid embryo. This contrasts sharply with the 10 to 15 eggs recommended for women under age 35. The low success rate per egg means multiple retrieval cycles are highly likely to be required.
Navigating the Oocyte Cryopreservation Process
The process begins with ovarian stimulation, requiring 10 to 14 days of daily self-administered hormone injections. Since ovarian response is diminished at age 44, higher doses of medication are often necessary to stimulate the limited remaining follicles. Monitoring involves frequent blood tests and ultrasounds to track follicle growth.
Once follicles reach optimal size, eggs are retrieved in a minor surgical procedure performed under light sedation. The entire process, from stimulation start to retrieval, generally takes two to three weeks per cycle.
The financial investment is substantial, magnified by the need for multiple cycles at this age. A single cycle typically costs $8,000 to $20,000, plus $2,000 to $7,000 for medications. While physical risks like pain or bloating are common, Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is a rare but serious risk associated with high-dose hormonal stimulation.
Considering Alternative Family Building Options
Given the low success rates using autologous (one’s own) eggs frozen at age 44, considering alternative paths for family building is important. The most effective medical alternative is the use of donor eggs, which bypasses the age-related decline in egg quality. Using eggs from a younger donor dramatically increases the live birth rate to over 30% per cycle.
Another option is embryo freezing, especially if a partner is available, where some eggs are fertilized and some are frozen unfertilized. Embryos generally have higher survival rates after thawing compared to unfertilized eggs. Non-biological paths such as adoption or foster care also represent established ways to build a family.