Many people hear women say they want to freeze their eggs simply because they are getting older and have not had children yet, or are not currently in a relationship. Or maybe they are just not quite ready yet but might be in the future. Some women may have careers that do not allow them to allocate the time needed to get pregnant or raise a newborn child. Others may have a spouse overseas or are overseas themselves. While any and every reason is valid, there are some you may not have realized.
Why?
You may consider freezing your eggs if you have a condition or circumstance that can affect your fertility, such as sickle cell anemia, or an autoimmune disease like lupus. You may also consider egg freezing if you need treatment for cancer or another illness that can affect your ability to get pregnant. Radiation and chemotherapy can harm your fertility, so freezing your eggs before treatment may be a good idea. Maybe you wish to preserve younger eggs now to use in the future; this might help your chances of getting pregnant.
When?
Experts believe that the best age for a woman to freeze her eggs is between ages 27 and 34. Women can expect age-related outcomes from fertility preservation such as egg freezing. This means that if a 32-year-old woman freezes her eggs, she can expect a pregnancy rate typical for 32-year-old women when she thaws, inseminates, and transfers the resulting embryos. The younger the egg, the healthier it is.
Little did you know, freezing your eggs can feel like an emotional roller coaster. Many women report feeling emotional due to a low number of eggs frozen and lack of emotional support. It may come as a surprise, but these emotions are very normal. When freezing your eggs, having a supportive person to talk to can be helpful. Whether it be a friend, family member, therapist, etc., the support will help navigate you through a time that can take your emotions for a ride. Peer support can also be found through private groups online.
If you are interested in egg preservation, NCCRM offers fertility preservation services through egg freezing to women 38 years of age and under. Though egg freezing is still considered an experimental technology, data has become available to justify its use with more than a hundred babies born in the United States as a result of egg preservation. For more information, visit our website or contact us today!
