Egg freezing is a technique in which eggs are harvested from a woman and frozen so they can be utilized later. Egg freezing has been around for about 30 years but recently elective egg freezing has become somewhat of an “it thing” to do amongst single women in their 20s and 30s. Women choosing to have their eggs frozen because they are single, focusing on school or their career is a trend that many fertility clinics are seeing. Celebrities like Maria Menounos, Olivia Munn and Sofia Vergara have all been open about the fact that they have frozen their eggs as a way to help ensure they can have a child in the future. Celebrities shining the spotlight on this fertility treatment have brought more attention to it and made more women aware of their own biological clock.
At what age should women freeze their eggs? Women thinking about freezing their eggs should really start the process by their early 30s. However, a number of women wait until their mid or late 30s to look into it. By this age, fertility is declining at a faster rate and the likelihood of retrieving enough eggs to have a decent shot of getting pregnant is lower. These women would have a higher likelihood of needing to go through multiple egg freezing cycles to retrieve enough eggs. Egg freezing is essentially the first half of an IVF cycle so this can be a costly and physically demanding process for women.
While egg freezing can help to preserve your fertility, it is not a guarantee. Women need to understand that they may never need to utilize these eggs or when they are ready to utilize them they may not survive the thawing process. If they do survive the thawing process, they may not fertilize with sperm and if they do fertilize and create embryos there is still a chance that they won’t get pregnant.
So while many women may want to get on the egg freezing train, there are a number of things to consider beforehand. Can I afford this? Am I willing to go through IVF to have a child? Am I willing to do all of this for the chance it may not work? If you think this is something that you want to explore further call our fertility clinic to schedule an egg freezing consultation at (248) 619-3100.
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