Should you freeze your eggs ?

 

Many young women freeze their eggs as an insurance policy , because it allows them to delay having children until they are ready to have a baby.

Some are unsure if it’s right for them as egg freezing is expensive and invasive. Determining whether freezing your eggs is worth the expense can be tricky.

So, should you freeze your eggs? Ultimately, it’s your decision, but here’s what we do know.

Step-By-Step Egg Freezing

Here is what the journey looks like:

1. Go to a fertility clinic for a set of fertility tests to test your ovarian reserve. These include an AMH level ( read more at http://www.drmalpani.com/knowledge-center/infertility-testing/amh) and an antral follicle count ( read more at http://www.drmalpani.com/knowledge-center/articles/afc)
2. Hormone stimulation – daily hormone injections for about 7-10 days to stimulate the production of eggs in the ovaries. You self-inject using a small needle at home, usually into the thigh or tummy. These are safe and effective, because they are natural hormones, and get excreted promptly in the urine.
3. Monitoring – your ovaries are monitored throughout the hormone stimulation, using transvaginal ultrasound to check the development of eggs and time the collection procedure. You need to come to the clinic about 3-4 times
4. Egg Collection – A probe is inserted into the vagina, with a needle piercing through the vaginal wall and into the ovary to "suck out" eggs from the ovary. This is painless because it’s done under anesthesia and takes a few minutes. The eggs are then cryogenically frozen using vitrification technology.

Does It Work?

You’re probably wondering, how likely is egg collection and freezing to be successful? This depends. The age at which you freeze (the younger the better), the number of eggs you freeze, and the expertise of the clinic are all factors that impact how likely you are to have a baby if you need to use your frozen eggs in future. One thing is for certain, it’s not a guarantee.

Is It Worth It?

Some women who have frozen their eggs can go on to conceive naturally. However, despite not needing to use them, the vast majority of women reported having no regrets over their decision to freeze and nearly everyone said they would recommend it to a friend because the peace of mind it provides is invaluable,

 It’s an incredibly personal decision and no one can tell you what is right for you – you need to decide for yourself !