Fertility preservation – and more specifically, egg freezing – is a great choice for a broad range of women. It's important to know both the pros AND the cons of egg freezing, as many are misinformed about the outcome. Egg freezing is certainly not a security blanket, but it’s a good backup plan. For the answers to some of the most common questions I get about egg freezing, read on.
Why freeze your eggs?
You may work for a progressive company that covers fertility preservation and so why not, just in case. Or you may want to delay your reproductive plans because of said company - you're a career oriented gal and that's your focus. Some women just haven't met "the one" yet and settling is not an option. Some are forced, for lack of a better word, due to a cancer diagnosis (freezing eggs prior to chemotherapy is recommended since our reproductive cells can be affected as a side effect). No matter why you choose to freeze your eggs, here’s what I want you to know.
Best age to freeze your eggs?
First, as much as we women hate to talk about our age, timing is essential for egg freezing. I know it’s a very sensitive subject as is but when it comes to fertility we are forced to talk about it so I apologize in advance.
Egg quality technically begins to decline at around age 28. Trust me, I had no idea it was this early either. Before I started working in fertility I thought I would wait until my late 30s/early 40s before having a baby. Little did I know…
I would recommend freezing your eggs before 38.
It's not that it can't be done after 38, but especially after 35 or 36, it can become significantly harder to produce a high count and even harder for high quality. Now there are always exceptions and outliers but these are the general stats.
What is the actual process of egg freezing?
Many women don't realize that the process for egg retrieval involves daily injections and an actual medical procedure involving anesthesia. The injections alone are enough to scare some people off after their initial consult with the doctor.
I've had so many women come back a year or more later kicking themselves for not doing it sooner because of the fear of shots. I think education is important here because learning why you need the injections can help talk you off the ledge.
Your physician will go through all of these mechanisms with you depending on the medication protocol that is chosen for you based on your results and history. When it comes time for a virtual care session, you can also schedule a virtual session with a fertility nurse who can guide you through the egg freezing injections live from the comfort of your own home.
The procedure itself is very minimally invasive, short and has a relatively speedy recovery depending on the number of eggs retrieved. Most people go back to work the next day.
How much does egg freezing cost?
An egg freezing cycle can range anywhere from $5,000-$6,000 at the low end to $12,000-$13,000. It depends on the clinic and medications. As mentioned before, some companies do cover the process but they may not cover the medications - or vice versa.
The financial team at your fertility care practice can help break all of this down for you or you can discuss with human resources at your company.
Should I freeze my eggs?
Let's circle back to the security blanket misconception here. While freezing eggs is very proactive and smart, it's not cut and dry. Just because you have eggs frozen doesn't mean you’ll be able to go back to them whenever and use them with no issues.
It's not possible to know the quality of your frozen eggs until you actually attempt using them (fertilizing them - aka injecting sperm to create an embryo). This applies whether you have 5 eggs or 25 eggs. Quantity is no indicator of quality here.
Again, this is where Dandi can help you navigate the decision-making process and understand your options. During a consult, we can review all of the possible outcomes before you pull the trigger on fertility preservation.
How do you know where to go for egg freezing?
It can be difficult to choose a fertility clinic to freeze your eggs with. This isn't your PCP we're talking about here - this is much more intimate and you want to make sure you vibe with not just the doctor but the facility as a whole.
Dandi can guide you through the entire process of choosing a clinic, deciding whether you even want to look into egg freezing, and support you throughout the experience of injecting the medications and preparing for the egg retrieval.
If you’re thinking about freezing your eggs and you have more questions, chat with one of our nurses. They’d be more than happy to help you make a plan and consider next steps!
