Because it's still in clinical trial, clinics aren't offering Shugoshin injections to the eggs just yet, but I am hoping that if I freeze eggs now, by the time I thaw, it will be a standard protocol in the future before fertilization.

Recent data (released in early 2026) suggests that restoring or supplementing Shugoshin-1 (SGO1) could significantly reduce attrition by lowering the rate of chromosomal errors (aneuploidy), particularly in aging oocytes.

Shugoshin-1—literally meaning "guardian spirit" in Japanese—acts as a protector for the "glue" (cohesin) that holds sister chromatids together. Here is how it targets the "attrition funnel" you were asking about:

Reducing Aneuploidy (The Biggest Hurdle)

The most aggressive point of attrition in IVF is the transition from a fertilized egg to a genetically normal (euploid) embryo.

• The Problem: As oocytes age, SGO1 levels naturally deplete. Without enough SGO1, the chromosomes lose their "glue" too early during meiosis, leading to Premature Sister Chromatid Separation (PSSC).
• The SGO1 Solution: New research (notably from Melina Schuh’s team at the Max Planck Institute) has shown that microinjecting SGO1 into aged eggs can reduce chromosomal defect rates significantly. In human trials, the error rate in eggs from women over 35 dropped from roughly 65% down to 44% after supplementation.

Improving Blastocyst Conversion

Because chromosomal health is a primary driver of whether an embryo reaches the blastocyst stage (Day 5/6), stabilizing the chromosomes at the very beginning should logically lead to a higher "conversion rate."

• In mouse models, SGO1-depleted zygotes showed a significantly lower ability to develop into blastocysts.
• By "fixing" the architecture of the egg before fertilization, more embryos are likely to survive the first week of development.