What 7 Things should I know before freezing my eggs?
Written by
Arva Health Team
31-Jan-2024
Egg Freezing suddenly seems all the rage, doesn’t it? Everyone from celebrities to friends are talking about it and it’s impossible to escape the hype.
And we get it- its a way to preserve your fertility at your age, for you to focus on your priorities and get back to your family planning at a later date.
So if egg freezing is something you’re considering, or just researching about, here are a few things you need to know:
🕢 You’ll get time!
Women are having kids later than ever. Its not about the scare of the biological clock, but rather about how these options help is prioritize our health, education, career, travel, and so on.
With egg freezing you get the option to detail out your family planning, whether you currently have a partner or not.
Egg Freezing allows you to preserve your fertility so you can have kids when you’re physically, emotionally and financially ready for it. Not when society tells you to 🙄
👩🏻💼It’s like insurance
Reproductive conditions like premature ovarian failure, PCOS and even thyroid issues can cause issues when you’re trying to conceive naturally. These issues can also lead to prolonged treatment and longer duration of medications as well.
Freezing your eggs can help you avoid those conversations later.
PS. If you’re unsure of your egg reserve, take a Fertility Test! It can give you essential insights into your egg count and quality.
It’s an investment 💸
While people like us are trying to make egg freezing more affordable (we’ll keep you posted, sign up here), it is still a sizeable financial and time investment to make.
Freezing eggs, in a way, is like having half the IVF process done. The time and effort invested in freezing your eggs isn’t really lost and can be rewarding later when you decide to use the frozen eggs.
___th time’s the charm!🌟
Depending on your age and medical history, it can take anywhere from one to a couple of cycles to get the right quality and quantity of eggs to freeze.
There’s no magic number or a set “number of cycles” either. Everyone’s egg-freezing journey is unique.
Each cycle takes 1-2 weeks each. So make sure you're mentally prepared before you commit.
The sooner you do it, the better🥚
We’re all born with 1-2 million eggs but as you age, that number reduces. Your ovarian reserve depletes as your menstrual cycle assigns a group of eggs to grow each month, with only one emerging as the “egg of the month”.
As this happens over the years, the egg number and quality declines. When you freeze your eggs when you are younger, you have the chance to preserve the genetics of your egg. AKA, The younger you are when you freeze your eggs, the more number and better quality you’ll have access to.
It’s not a guarantee, though🪄
While the procedure of freezing eggs is now largely standardized and is a routine procedure worldwide, success rates vary across the world. The number and quality of eggs that you may freeze as well, is unique to your situation.
But does freezing eggs guarantee a baby? Not really. The next process, which is IVF depends on donor or partner sperm, the quality and the entire procedure, medication and timeline. Hence, it’s never a 100% guarantee, just like natural conception. But opting for egg freezing can nevertheless be a positive on your side when you’re finally ready to start a family.
You can’t do it on a whim
Egg freezing takes a lot of preparation — mental, medical, physical, and financial. It’s a labour of your effort and time, so it’s okay to sit back, check resources and finalize the clinics, and the doctors you want to approach and have a say in the medications and protocol that you think is best for you.
Don’t feel pressured to make the decision RIGHT NOW! If having kids is something you want someday, or if you wish to preserve your fertility, it’s important to sit and think about how you want to do it and commit to the process.
The last thing you need to know: We’re making egg-freezing affordable, and accessible
At Arva, we’re striving to have the right resources reach Indian women and make egg freezing affordable and accessible.
From finding the right gynaecologist who listens to you, to accessing a fertility test a click away to know your hormonal levels, we’re working to remove the taboo that surrounds infertility, one day at a time!
If egg freezing is something you’re exploring and set out to you, head over to our egg freezing guide to understand how to move ahead with your decision, and the first steps to take!
Image credits: Constantin Brancusi (Romanian/French, 1876 - 1954), Sculpture for the Blind (Sculpture pour aveugles), 1920 - 1921
FAQs
1. What is the biggest risk of egg freezing?
The biggest risk of egg freezing is a very rare condition known as Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or OHSS. This is where the ovaries overreact to the hormonal medication leading to more eggs being produced, swelling up of the ovaries and pain.
2. What not to do before freezing eggs?
Avoid alcohol, smoking, recreational drugs and even hot tubs and saunas! Higher temperatures can have a negative effect on your egg-freezing process. Apart from that, one can also try to reduce stress levels, exercise moderately and have a nutritionally healthy diet.
3. Can you get pregnant naturally after freezing eggs?
Yes, freezing eggs doesn’t really affect your natural fertility. If you’re planning to conceive naturally, then freezing eggs can be a backup option. Egg freezing merely tries to extract all the eggs that would’ve been selected to grow, in a particular menstrual cycle. The rest of the eggs in your ovaries stay dormant, and undisturbed.
4. What is the best age to freeze your eggs?
Generally freezing your eggs between the ages of 27-35 can be beneficial. The ovarian reserve begins to deplete in the late 20s and accelerates in decline during the 30s. Hence to preserve egg quality, it is best to freeze your eggs and their genetics, around the ages of 27-35.
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