Faith Salie, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, speaks candidly about her decision to freeze her eggs. Watch her video journey here.

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How does Aging Affect Human Eggs (aka Oocytes)?

One of life’s greatest ironies is that just at the right time when a woman is prepared emotionally and personally to begin her family, she may be confronted by the obstacles associated with infertility. At birth, most women (but not all) are born with about 2 million oocytes (eggs) that are stored in their ovaries. Each egg is a microscopic, fluid filled cell lying in a protective capsule called a follicle, which in turn is located within the ovaries. Each oocyte is formed with a pre-determined lifespan that cannot be altered and may be as brief as a few days or up to many years.

From the time of birth until menopause, there is a natural, unrelenting loss of the oocyte number as they are eliminated from the resting pool. The magnitude of egg loss is truly staggering, such that by adolescence, 90% of the eggs available for ovulation has been lost, leaving about 100,000 from the original 2 million at birth. Unlike ongoing fresh sperm production in men, there is no new formation of fresh, healthy eggs in women.

Changes in the Internal Structure of Aging Eggs:

The cytoplasmic fluid within the egg contains many tiny organelles and the so called cytoskeleton. Spontaneous deterioration of the egg’s internal protein structures, like the mitochondria, will cause a disturbance in the normal steps of the fertilization process. This may lead to the development of suboptimal embryos that fail to develop normally, leading to implantation failure or loss of the pregnancy (miscarriage) during the first few weeks.

Chromosomal & Genetic Abnormalities Associated with Aging:

Additional age-related changes are structural defects in the chromosomes, microscopic sticks of genetic information inside the egg nucleus. They contain vital DNA information necessary for the development of a normal child. An example of a genetic mutation is the disease called Cystic Fibrosis.

Furthermore, numerical abnormalities in the number of chromosomes can occur when entire chromosomes can be lost, duplicated or become fragmented. An example of these types of chromosomal errors is Down Syndrome where one extra chromosome develops in the 21st pair of chromosomes. This may lead to a birth defect or an early pregnancy loss.

How Can Egg Freezing Benefit You?

Egg freezing allows for the suspension of the biologic clock by freezing a woman’s own healthy eggs during her peak reproductive years and thawing them in the future as needed. Our patent-pending LANDA FreezingTechnology, developed by Antoine La and Dr. David Diaz has already yielded 59 live births to date as of October 2010.

This number is among the highest of any single IVF center. This technique has resulted in a 91% egg thaw survival rate. Worldwide, the number of babies born from frozen eggs is estimated at more than 500.