Medical risks

There are no known risks of hereditary or other diseases for the child born from a frozen egg, including artificial insemination; thousands of children have already been conceived in this way. However, due to the usually advanced age of the mother-to-be, by definition a high-risk pregnancy exists with sometimes considerably increased probabilities of numerous pregnancy complications. The risk of miscarriage is considerably increased.

The woman herself exposes herself to an above-average risk to her health not only through increased risks due to a late pregnancy, but also directly through the process-related interventions and hormone treatments. Nausea and vomiting are the most common adverse effects that can occur during hormone therapy that stimulates the ovaries. So-called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), however, occurs less frequently.

In this more serious complication, nausea and vomiting, but sometimes also abdominal pain, are to be expected again in the milder, more common form. About 1% of patients develop a more severe form of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which can be accompanied by cysts on the ovaries, abdominal dropsy (ascites), shortness of breath (dyspnoea), and coagulation disorders. Especially younger women and those with ovaries rich in vesicles (polycystic ovaries) have an increased risk of suffering from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome as a result of hormone treatment.

Ultimately, when deciding on egg screening, the risks associated with the egg collection procedure itself should also be considered. This procedure, usually performed under general anesthesia, is not complicated for the surgeon, but even though the risks of bleeding, infection, etc. are quite low in addition to those of an anesthetic complication, they can never be completely ruled out. A conscientious weighing of chances, costs and risks should therefore always precede a decision for such a procedure.

Costs

Normally, the costs of hormone treatment, egg retrieval procedures, egg storage and insertion of the eggs, which are part of egg screening, are not covered by health insurance. If complications arise as a result of these medically unnecessary treatments, the costs will also be covered privately. The amount of the resulting costs is by no means insignificant; the storage of the eggs in a cryobank alone costs hundreds of Euros per year. In total, the number of necessary collection procedures, etc., depends on the provider. In general, costs in the high four-digit or even five-digit range are to be expected.