It’s an empowering tool to take ownership when you’re not ready to have a child.
I would’ve made such different decisions in my dating life in my 20s.
I would not have been so panicked in my early 30s about finding the right person.
Freezing 20 or more eggs can be a challenge, though.
Truth #1: One cycle takes about two weeks but one isnt always enough.
When all goes as planned, an egg freezing cycle takes 12 to 16 days from start to finish.
At 32, Stephanie froze 14 eggs…over three cycles.
Truth #2: Your body is in charge.
Between work and travel obligations, Emily was finally able to start her cycle around Thanksgiving.
This led to multiple delays and a bit more stress than I had anticipated.
Eggs are not embryos and embryos are not babies, says Dr. Singer.
Once a woman decides to use her frozen eggs, not all of them will survive the thawing process.
And then not all of the successfully thawed eggs will be successfully fertilized.
And then not all of the fertilized eggs will make it to the embryo stage.
And then not all the embryos will be viable.
Stephanie became pregnant from that embryo transfer but miscarried at 10 weeks.
But when my partner and I went to turn them into embryos, the number went down.
I thought the egg retrieval was the end, but there were so many more steps.
Truth #4: Egg freezing is an ongoing expense.
More and more employers are now offering egg freezing coverage but most insurance plans still dont cover it.
And it costs a lot to freeze your eggs this is territory that has been well covered.
Stephanie had a bill of $41,600 for her three egg freezing cycles and five years of storage.
Truth #5: Egg freezing can come with side effects, some more fleeting than others.
But two of the women we spoke with experienced ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
These cases are usually characterized by abdominal swelling, severe pain, and persistent nausea.
After taking thyroid medication, shes now on Wegovy to bring her weight back down.
Even so, I 100% think this was worth it, she says.
I now have a backup plan for my future and am incredibly grateful for that.
And ovarian stimulation has never been shown to provoke autoimmune disease, says Dr.
In your 40s, its more like one or two out of every 15 to 20 eggs.
With 30 eggs, those percentages increased to about 90% and 55%, respectively.
This isnt something that everyone should be doing, especially in your 20s.
There’s now much more standardization of the process of freezing eggs, says Dr. Singer.
This has contributed to a major change in success.
But a big factor is also just the inefficiency of the reproductive system.
Very few eggs whether frozen or not will ultimately lead to a healthy pregnancy.
And that’s why volume and selection become really important.
These are the words of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
(Of those that had, 32% had babies.)
But its not the solution to everything, says Dr. Amato.
I think it should be offered, obviously, but we need to advocate for different social policies too.
