Egg-Q is a program that makes it easy and inexpensive for women to know how many high quality eggs they have remaining. Knowing your ovarian reserve helps you make the best decisions for yourself in terms of when to have children or freeze your eggs if you want to wait.
How do I take the Egg-Q Test?
There are three ways to take the Egg-Q test. You can select where you would like to get tested when you order.
Get tested at Conceptions Florida in Miami.
Get tested at select Ob-Gyn offices in Miami. Simply make an appointment with your participating Ob-Gyn as you normally would.
Get tested nationwide. We have partnerships with blood drawing locations in almost all 50 states. Choose Egg-Q Nationwide at check out and we will find the location closest to you.
How much does the test cost?
Egg-Q costs $249 and includes the blood test, personalized results and the follow up consultation.
At what age should I get tested?
The testing is valid at any age, but is recommended mostly for women between 25 and 40 years old. For women without children, waiting until after age 35 to get tested is not recommended because your options are more limited if your AMH shows poor ovarian reserve. The best predictor of a low AMH is age. So check yourself early!
What is AMH? Why do I need to know this anyway?
Anti-Mulerian Hormone is produced by the ovaries as they recruit and select eggs. AMH is stable throughout a woman's menstrual cycle and therefore predicts quantity (and many say quality) of eggs that a woman has remaining. An AMH under 1.5 is low for a woman under 35. You need to know this important number to help you make the right decisions for yourself in terms of career, education, relationships, egg freezing and ultimately having your own biological child.
What can I do if my AMH is low?
Women under 35 with an AMH under 1.5 should consider either trying to get pregnant right away or freezing their eggs if they desire to have their own biological child one day.
What causes early fertility loss (diminished ovarian reserve)?
Diminished ovarian reserve (or an AMH below 1.5) can be caused by a number of factors, including age; endometriosis and some autoimmune conditions such as lupus; treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy; smoking, alcohol and drug use; ovarian surgeries; family history and other genetic causes; and even environmental toxins. The most suspected environmental toxins are ambient radiation and BPA found in plastics. For more information on causes, visit our page about diminished ovarian reserve.
Who will review my results with me?
One of the Board Certified physicians or nurses at Conceptions Florida will review your results with you. They can review results in person, over the phone or via Skype. Whichever is most convenient for you.
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing (or oocyte cryopreservaton) is a relatively new technology that allows fertility doctors to freeze a woman's egg. We have been successfully freezing sperm and embryos (an egg that has already been fertilized by sperm) for many years. However, the FDA only approved egg freezing in the last couple of years. This allows women to freeze their own unfertilized eggs without the need to select a partner, giving you the freedom to choose when and with whom to have children. And in the meantime, you can complete education and career goals or deal with health issues if necessary. Egg freezing gives women the ability to live life on their own time.
Why would someone freeze her eggs?
The obvious reason is to allow her to have her own biological children at a later time. The most common reason is to give herself an "insurance" that allows her to use her younger eggs- which carry lower risk of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities- at an older age. Women who want to complete their education or advance their careers frequently choose to freeze their eggs. Other women may be battling illnesses including cancer but want to preserve their fertility for when they are well again. Some women just haven't found a suitable partner yet.
How does egg freezing work?
Women are given medications to stimulate their ovaries to produce eggs. These eggs are retrieved by an Infertility specialist under light anesthesia and then frozen rapidly through a process called vitrification. The eggs can then be frozen indefinitely until a woman chooses to use them, at which point they are thawed and then fertilized to create an embryo. To learn more about this process, visit our egg freezing page.
What is the difference between freezing an egg versus an embryo?
Until about two years ago, scientists were only able to freeze sperm or embryos, but not eggs. An embryo is a fertilized egg which will grow in to a fetus and a baby in the womb. An egg has simply been retrieved from the woman but not yet fertilized. This allows women to choose their partner at the time they are ready to have children. And also avoids more complex ethical questions about embryos.
What does it cost to freeze my eggs?
Freezing eggs can be affordable through various financing options. One cycle of egg freezing costs $8,900 and a package of 2 cycles costs $15,000. For out of town patients, this includes remote monitoring and a two day visit (including airfare and hotel) to Miami when it is time to retrieve your eggs. We also work with various financing companies and of course accept all credit cards.
What if I get pregnant and don't need my frozen eggs?
If you get pregnant on your own you can simply discard the eggs that have been stored. Or you can opt to donate or sell your eggs to one of our many amazing couples who requires an egg donor in order to have a child. About 15% of our patients require egg donors.
Why do I see so many celebrities getting pregnant in their late 40s and older?
Don't let Hollywood fool you. While celebrities may look better and have fancier lives than the rest of us, their ovaries age just like every other woman's! While most people are hesitant to speak about it, the great majority of these pregnancies come from donated eggs. A third of women are unable to have their own biological child by age 40 because they lack the eggs to do so. By 45, 87% of women are unable to have a biological child.
Motherhood is a miracle, no matter how it comes to you. Egg donation has made many women in to mothers. But many women are shocked and disappointed to find that they no longer can have a biological child and wish they had known there was something they could have done earlier.
