As modern women, we’re blessed with choices our ancestors, mothers and grandmothers could only dream of. One of these choices, for me, was to freeze my eggs. It’s a decision that’s deeply personal and nuanced, and little disclaimer here: I am not giving anyone a personal advice, but simply sharing my personal experience which I believe was a proactive step towards securing my future happiness. Though I must say it does not guarantee a future pregnancy it does increase the chances of conceiving using my own biological eggs later in life.
Why Freeze My Eggs?
At 31, I found myself at a crossroads. While I was content with where I was in life, I also recognised the ticking of my biological clock. I have been wanting to be a mother for a few years now, however, knowing the years are passing by and biologically I am, inevitably, becoming less fertile I thought I should take this burden off me and avoid future regret.
Freezing my eggs seemed to be my “fertility insurance”—a way to buy myself more time without compromising my fertility. And I say this because I literally had to be financially able and willing to do such investment. By preserving my eggs now, I feel that I can potentially bypass the constraints of age when it comes to starting a family, providing me with peace of mind knowing that I have options down the road.
My decision process and listening to the critics
Deciding to freeze my eggs wasn’t just about preserving my fertility; it was also a choice on the trajectory of my life, one where finding my significant other could be a reality though one that I would not want to prevent me from fulfilling my wish of raising a family. I felt empowered, and I also had my doubts throughout my journey.
Throughout the years I had conversations with close friends and relatives, other women who often times did not understand my concerns or did not share my perspective. I also met people who could somehow understand it but did not sound entirely positive about the whole experience. And of course, I had years to mature this idea in my mind before going for it.
From personal experience, if I was to do it again I would probably keep it to myself and my close family. The last thing you need is questioning yourself. Everybody is different and only you know what is good for you.
How Does Egg Freezing Work?
Here is a simple explanation on how it works:
- First ultrasound and blood tests (Day 1): In this first stage the woman will have a consultation with a doctor who will perform an ultrasound in order to measure and count the follicles, and the measure the uterus, in order to understand a woman’s feminine health and if there are any health issues that could prevent this treatment from being fruitful in the future. Blood tests are also a requirement to rule out any possible STDs or other health related issues that may affect the eggs. I basically did this in a couple hours.
- Ovarian Stimulation (First few days of your menstruation): The woman undergoes hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs instead of the usual one during a menstrual cycle. During this stage you will have to inject yourself with the prescribed ovarian stimulation. Disclaimer: needles involved!! You can ask a family member to assist you, though if you intend to keep this matter private that might be a challenge, so you should be ready to be completely autonomous at this stage.
- Monitoring: Throughout the stimulation process, the follicle’s development is closely monitored through ultrasounds. I had never visited the gynechologist as many times as I did during that month. But, this is super important and you should not miss it! The idea is to stimulate the follicles/eggs growth without triggering the ovulation which would completely defeat the whole treatment as the eggs would be released by the ovaries and lost!
- Egg Retrieval (around the 14th day of your cycle): Once the follicles reach the appropriate size, a minor surgical procedure called egg retrieval is performed under general anesthesy. A needle is inserted into each follicle (so, in your ovaries) to collect the mature eggs.
- Freezing: The best part! Now you can rest! Your job here is done. The retrieved eggs are then immediately frozen using a process called vitrification, which prevents ice crystal formation and preserves the eggs’ integrity.
- Storage: The frozen eggs are stored in a cryogenic facility until they are ready to be used, donated, disposed (voluntarily or not). For more information on what you can do with your microscopic little beings of yours, you should consult the legislation of the country where you are doing the procedure and the specific rules of the medical clinic.
The physical and emotional experience
I personally hate needles, I hate to take blood or get vaccinated, so the idea of having to inject myself or even ask someone to help me do it was terrifying. Eventually and ironically a delayed flight on my first day of the stimulation process forced me to learn and do it all by myself in an airport lavatory (disgusting, but I had no alternative as the injections need to be taken every day at the same precise hour). After a couple of those, I honestly felt like I was a pro and it wasn’t that difficult after all.
Physically, I felt amazing, my skin was looking good, I probably gained a bit of weight and my breasts felt more tender. Perhaps, I also had more appetite but I was feeling good overall. Mentally and emotionally, there might have been a day or two when I felt down, angry, emotional, possibly considering the reasons why I had to go through this whole process without knowing what the future will be like. But nevertheless not at all a bad experience.
In Conclusion
Freezing my eggs at 31 was a decision I made with careful consideration and deliberation. It’s a choice that aligns with my values of independence, self-determination, and the pursuit of happiness. While it may not be the right choice for everyone, I’m grateful to live in a time where I have the financial means and the legal freedom to have such options. In the end, nobody knows what the future holds but still, to a certain extent we can have some control over how we want it to be like.