Is there any way to know in advance if the eggs will survive the freezing process?
Studies have shown that there is tremendous variability in the ability of eggs to tolerate the freezing process. They have also shown that within a single group of eggs frozen, some will survive and others will not. In those that do survive the freeze and later thaw, some will fertilize when exposed to sperm and others will not. We are working very hard to minimize the variability in responses seen in individual patients and their eggs. The prior survival and fertilization of eggs is a good predictor of subsequent performance as long as a long lapse between procedures (and an increase in the age of the patient) has not occurred.
