The journey to motherhood takes many different forms and whether you know for sure that you want children or not, there are options for you which are readily available, one of which is egg freezing, a treatment that is growing in popularity.
More and more women want to know that they are controlling their future fertility and freezing eggs gives you that choice. The earlier the eggs are frozen, the better the chance of success, as fertility decreases more quickly from the age of 35.
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing is a method of preserving a woman’s fertility so she can try and have children at a later date. Eggs harvested from ovaries are frozen unfertilized and stored for later use (egg freezing doesn't require sperm because the eggs aren't fertilized before they're frozen). Just as with embryo freezing, you'll need to use fertility drugs to make you ovulate so that you'll produce multiple eggs for retrieval.
Why you might choose to freeze eggs
Egg freezing might be an option if you're not ready to become pregnant now but want to try to get pregnant in the future. You might also consider egg freezing if you have a condition or circumstance that can affect your fertility like an autoimmune disease such as lupus or you need treatment for cancer or another illness that can affect your ability to get pregnant. Freezing eggs is also an option if you are planning gender realignment - if you're a female transitioning to a male, you may want to preserve your fertility before you start hormone therapy or have reconstructive surgery as both treatments can lead to the partial or total loss of your fertility.
Are there any risks with egg freezing?
Egg freezing gives you an option for the future but it’s important to bear in mind that it does not guarantee that you will get pregnant in the future, even if you are freezing younger eggs. You will need to deal with many different emotions so arm yourself with all the information possible to make sure you are making the right decision for you. In very rare situations, the hormones used to stimulate your eggs can lead to abdominal discomfort, bloating and nausea.
What if you decide you don’t want to use your frozen eggs?
If you have frozen eggs you don’t want to use, you have a number of different options. You can donate them to research or training, or you can of course discard your eggs - eggs that are no longer needed are simply removed from storage and allowed to perish naturally in warmer temperatures or water.
If egg freezing is something you would like to undertake, you can contact the clinic and we can arrange a consultation after which we will organise blood tests and an AMH test (to test your ovarian reserve).