Is Egg Freezing Right for You? Factors to Consider During NIAW
It’s National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW), a perfect opportunity to reflect on your family-building goals and learn about available fertility services. Egg freezing is gaining popularity as a proactive way to manage fertility. This process of fertility preservation helps increase the chances of a successful pregnancy by allowing individuals to take steps ahead of time, rather than waiting until they’re ready to try to conceive.
The Ideal Egg Freezing Candidate
Women are born with a complete set of around 1 to 2 million eggs. Over time, both the quality and quantity of eggs gradually decline, with a significant drop around age 37. Egg freezing can be a good option for someone in their early 30s who isn't planning to get pregnant soon but wants to have children in the future. It may also be suitable for individuals in their mid-30s who already have children but are interested in expanding their families later on.
Egg freezing is also beneficial for individuals who need to undergo medical treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation, which can affect fertility. It also provides an option for transgender individuals who wish to have children after transitioning; they can freeze their eggs before starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
The Egg Freezing Process
Egg freezing is a multi-step process involving:
- Ovarian stimulation: You’ll take hormone injections for 10-12 days to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs.
- Egg retrieval: A fertility specialist will perform an ultrasound-guided surgical procedure to retrieve the eggs from your ovaries.
- Cryopreservation: An embryologist will confirm that the retrieved eggs are mature, meaning they have the potential to be fertilized. Then, the eggs are frozen and stored until you’re ready to use them.
When you're ready to use your eggs, they'll be thawed and combined with sperm from either your partner or a donor. A fertility specialist will then transfer the resulting embryos into the uterus of the intended carrier, with the hope of achieving a successful pregnancy.
Learn More About Egg Freezing
Egg freezing is a highly personal decision. Regardless of whether or not you're ready to freeze your eggs, it's important to consult with a fertility specialist. They can help you determine if egg freezing is the right option for you and advise you on the best timing for the procedure.
At Chelsea Fertility NYC, our reproductive endocrinologists are here to guide you through the egg freezing process and support you through every step of your fertility journey. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an appointment in New York City.
