WHY YOU SHOULDN’T WORRY ABOUT FREEZING YOUR EGGS (YET)

Whenever someone famous comes out to say they’ve frozen their eggs, or been upfront about getting plastic surgery, we notice there’s a buzz about that specific topic. But, just because someone famous is freezing their eggs, it doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea for you, too. Though, we must admit that it’s a good thing to start thinking about your future fertility, so you can plan ahead and understand what statistics tell you about your odds of being able to get pregnant as you age.  Egg freezing may not be the best option for you.  Egg freezing is your “back up ” plan.  Certainly getting pregnant  the “old fashioned way” is best, when the time comes.  But what happens when you are ready to conceive and you can’t and the fertility doctor tells you due to your age or egg quality you will need an egg donor to conceive.  A But if you had stored frozen eggs you have the chance of having a genetic child. Women may elect to freeze their eggs for the following reasons:

• Women who are not currently in a relationship but would like the option of saving better quality eggs for fertility use.
• A medical condition which put the woman at risk for premature menopause such as:
  • Recent diagnosis cancer requiring chemotherapy that is toxic to the ovaries
  • Severe endometriosis
  • A history of early menopause in her family
  • Carrying a genetic defect that leads to early menopause

Keep reading to learn more about freezing your eggs, and why it might not be something you need to worry about yet, if you’re under the age of 25.

INFERTILITY

We’re starting to see an increase of women worrying about getting their eggs frozen. Some women opt to freeze their eggs before they undergo chemotherapy, or other medical treatments which can affect your egg quality. But the largest increase in interest in egg freezing is among women who wish to delay their child bearing.  But what is the right age to think about freezing your eggs?

FERTILITY

Our natural fertility levels change as we age. Ignoring other factors, our general fertility starts to dip a little bit in our early thirties, around age 33 years. Then, in our late thirties, it dips again, though a little more steeply. The best time to freeze your eggs is before age 33, however eggs have been frozen in women up to age 40. Future success with the frozen eggs in creating a pregnancy is certainly better if you are under the age 33 when you freeze your eggs. As you age remember  the frozen eggs are your backup plan.  If you meet Mister Right and try to have children and you can’t.  Having the frozen eggs as a back up will allow women to try to conceive using her thawed frozen eggs in the future at a time when her own fertility may have declined and the quality of her own eggs may be reduced.  The important issues with egg freezing to remember is that have frozen eggs is no guarantee of pregnancy.  The success of the frozen eggs will depend on the age at which the eggs were frozen. The more eggs that are frozen the better chance of success.  That is why some women do more than one egg freezing cycle.  It is said it takes about 10 frozen eggs on average to crate one pregnancy.

If you are concerned about health issues affecting your fertility, though, then it is definitely worth coming in for a consultation.  If you you are approaching age 33 or are older and want to “save” your fertility as you are not in a committed relationship or desire to delay child bearing then you need to come in for a consult to discuss egg freezing. Check your insurance as some companies cover egg freezing for their employees.