How is egg freezing different from IVF?

Eggs freezing and IVF initially follow the exact same clinical procedures which consist of 1) ovarian stimulation (ultrasound monitoring and bloodwork while taking injectable medications for about 10 days) and the egg retrieval procedure (see more in section below). It is the lab procedures after the egg retrieval where the two differ. For egg freezing, the eggs are, within hours of their removal, frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen. For IVF, the eggs are fertilized to create embryos which are eventually transferred to the uterus to achieve pregnancy.