A few months ago I was approached by the Director of Business Development for Frozen Egg Bank Network about a guest blog post. Now I don’t usually do guest posts because this little blog has just been my voice and I don’t like to endorse or sell anything other than whatever hope and support I can— and that’s not really for sale. But she wrote a post with some good info which came through to me on the same day as one of my best friends decided to freeze her eggs.
My friend— let’s call her YaYa— is 37 and change. She is an amazing gal with less than amazing luck with men. Until now. She just met a cowboy, literally, who has swept her off her feet and grounded her at the same time, and she’s pretty sure he’s the one. Thankfully the feeling appears to be mutual. But it’s early in the game, and she REALLY wants to be a mom one day but doesn’t want to jump into something too soon. Thus her decision to “harvest” as she says. I TOTALLY support this.
If I would have known…I hate to even go there but I do hope that we as a society can get to a very different place with fertility education and I hope that women can be given appropriate and helpful information about their fertility at a younger age when they can actually DO something about it…but if I would have known that my ovaries were going to turn to dust by my 30th birthday, I probably would have frozen my eggs in my twenties. Now, this is not a guarantee, it’s an insurance policy, but it is one that might save a lot of people some tough choices and heartbreak on the back end. For me, I still wonder if it would have worked, or if I would have wanted it to work because that would mean I might not have Momo, and I know that Momo was supposed to be my baby. So my personal feelings are conflicted, but I think it's a good option. Here’s the post from Noreen Butler, Director of Business Development for Frozen Egg Bank Network. She strives to educate women about the need to become aware of their fertility potential at a young age in order to help them take control of their biological clock.
Time vs. Fertility: Egg Freezing Is Your Hope for the Future
Do you feel like your biological clock is ticking away, but it’s not the best time for you to start a family? The ability to preserve your eggs at the peak of your fertility is now available and can extend your childbearing years and give you a sense of security for the future.
What is the Best Time for You? There are many reasons for delaying motherhood. By freezing your eggs now, you can start your family on a timeline that is best for you.
Looking for the Right Romantic Partner. The number one reason women freeze their eggs is because they are still single. Women who have not met their life partner may find it comforting to freeze their eggs in order to give themselves more time to find the person they truly want to have children with.
Facing Divorce. Women going through a divorce in their twenties or thirties may decide to freeze their eggs because they do not know how long it will take to find another partner.
Focusing on Career or Education Goals. Some women are not ready to start a family because they want to accomplish education or career goals before having children.
What If You Wait Too Long?
The challenge with waiting for the “right time” to start a family is that as you age, medical issues may arise that can impact fertility.
Diminished Ovarian Reserve. As you get older, the quantity of your eggs starts to decline, making it more difficult to get pregnant. You are most fertile in your twenties, followed by your early thirties. After 35, your fertility drops noticeably each year. By the time you reach 40, you will have less than a ten percent chance of a successful pregnancy with your own eggs, and by 45 that chance goes down to only one percent.
Reduced Egg Quality. There is a greater chance for chromosomal abnormalities with your eggs as you age, increasing the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, or other disorders that make conceiving difficult.
Early Onset Menopause. When menopause happens before 40, it is called early onset menopause. It can be caused by certain medical treatments, like a hysterectomy, or may happen on its own due to chromosome defects, genetics, or autoimmune diseases, such as thyroid disease or rheumatoid arthritis.
Cancer. Unfortunately, some women face a cancer diagnosis during their most fertile years. The chemotherapy and radiation can damage the ovaries and affect egg quality.
How Egg Freezing Works
To begin the process, you will start taking hormones that stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs at once. During this time, which usually lasts five to 10 days, you will have regular ultrasounds to monitor egg growth. After about two weeks, the eggs are retrieved during a brief procedure. Then, they are taken to the lab and cooled to subzero temperatures so they can be stored safely for future use.
Once you have decided the time is right to move forward, the egg bank will ship your frozen eggs to the fertility clinic. You will then start taking medications including estrogen and progesterone to prepare the endometrial lining of your uterus to accept the embryos. After about four weeks, the frozen eggs will be thawed and fertilized with your partner’s or donor’s sperm to make embryos. The embryologist selects the most viable embryo(s), and then the doctor transfers them into your uterus. Within two weeks, you will know if it was a success.
No Time Like the Present
The sooner you freeze your eggs, the better chance you have for a successful pregnancy when you are ready for a family. If you have more questions concerning freezing your eggs, please consult your family physician or gynecologist.
Just like us! In our case, first we went to the offices they have in London, and they told us they had just opened in Ireland, in Clane, and next month we have an appointment with them. In our case we've had 3 failed IVF processes with our own eggs, so we'll probably have to go the donation route.
Good luck with your appointment! I'm sure that this time it will work out. I've heard very good things about this clinic. Let us know, and perhaps we'll give it a try.
Posted by: Betty | September 30, 2016 at 02:24 AM
We’re in the same situation as you, and a few days ago requested information from what used to be: http://institutmarques.ie/, which we have learned is now called the Institut Marquès.
Posted by: Natalie | September 29, 2016 at 01:23 AM