Egg Freezing: Why should you consider it
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In contemporary society, people’s approach toward conception has evolved. People are increasingly opting for late-age pregnancy to pursue their higher education, enjoy their lives, and engage themselves in financial and career planning, often freezing their gametes for future use.
If a woman is considering motherhood in the future, egg-freezing technology offers a woman the opportunity to be a mother on her own terms.
If a woman is considering motherhood in the future, egg-freezing technology offers a woman the opportunity to be a mother on her own terms.
What is egg freezing?
Why should you consider freezing your eggs in your 20s or 30s?
What is the best age to freeze eggs?
What is the egg-freezing procedure?
What is the egg-freezing success rate?
What is the cost of freezing eggs?
Reasons to Consider Egg Freezing
Conclusion
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing, also known as Oocyte cryopreservation, is a process of preserving a woman’s egg. With this technique, a woman can choose to delay pregnancy and have her child(ren) wherever she wants. Here, a woman’s egg is frozen by vitrification technique. When a woman considers pursuing pregnancy, the frozen eggs are thawed, and fertilized and the embryo is implanted inside the uterus.
Why should you consider freezing your eggs in your 20s or 30s?
Freezing eggs in your late 20s and early 30s can reduce the risk of infertility, and chromosomal abnormalities while increasing the chances of a healthy conception. Since people are healthier at a young age, they have less stressful lives, and having a more active lifestyle, allows them to provide healthier eggs that they can use in future pregnancies.
What is the best age to freeze eggs?
Fertility in females starts decreasing by the age of thirty. Hence, one’s Ovum freezing timeline should be in their late 20s. As per the experts, the ideal age for egg freezing is 25-28. However, many women freeze their eggs at 30-35, which is still risky but common. Many women ask questions like – Should I freeze my eggs at 30, or Should I freeze my eggs at 35? Freezing eggs at 30 still could be considered a healthy age for freezing your egg, but waiting until you turn 35 to freeze your eggs carries the risk.
What is the female egg freezing procedure?
- Initially, a blood test is conducted to find if there is any infection such as hepatitis, syphilis, and HIV/AIDS.
- Injections to stimulate the growth of eggs in ovaries.
- Administrating the patient with general anesthesia to retrieve eggs from the ovaries and the eggs are frozen.
- If a woman is ready for the pregnancy, the frozen egg is thawed and fertilized with the sperm (ICSI).
What is the egg-freezing success rate?
It is difficult to predict the success rate of the procedure as the treatment is new, but the success rates are higher if the woman’s egg is extracted before her 30s. So if someone is thinking of egg-freezing, it is better to freeze them before their 30s.
What is the cost of freezing eggs?
Elective egg freezing costs around $30000 to $40000, with an average cost of around $15000. Oocyte cryopreservation cost ranges from $10000 to $15000 per cycle with an annual storage fee of up to $1000.
Reasons to Consider Egg Freezing
- Preserve Your Fertility: Egg Freezing allows women under 30-35 to preserve their eggs with frozen egg technology (vitrification) so that they can pursue a late-age pregnancy i.e. the pregnancy in their 40s and 50s, whenever they want.
- Flexibility: It protects against unwanted or early-age pregnancy and gives women the opportunity to finish their life goals, pursue their higher education, plan their career, and find their dream partner, who could be ready to welcome a child(ren) with them. It basically, gives you time to consider yourself rather than being stressed about late pregnancy and infertility if you wait too long.
- Control Your Pregnancy Timeline: Egg-freezing technology offers women freedom and decision-making authority. A woman can choose to pursue her pregnancy in her 30s, 40s, 50s, or even in her 60s, allowing her to be her own decision-maker.
- Protects Eggs From Disease: Egg freezing allows one to protect her eggs from diseases and medical treatments. A woman can choose to freeze her eggs before going through any medical treatments that can affect her eggs.
- Improves Pregnancy Chances: Frozen eggs allow a woman to have pregnancy even at the age, where a woman cannot conceive a natural pregnancy. After 30 or 35, egg fertility starts decreasing but if a woman has her frozen eggs stored before she is 30, it will increase the chances of her conception.
- Safe and Effective: Vitrification helps to keep eggs safe and maintains their quality even after decades, the eggs will be fresh and ready to be fertilized.
Conclusion
Egg freezing could be the best alternative for women considering late-aged pregnancy. It helps a woman to have a biological connection with the child by using her quality eggs rather than seeking an egg donor. Your late 20s could be the best age to consider your egg freezing. Vitrification allows you to freeze your eggs without forming hard crystals and increases the sustainability of the eggs. Crossing 35 can reduce fertility, it can worsen the quality of the eggs. The cost of Egg-Freezing can be around $30000-$40000 with around $1000 annual storage fee. Egg freezing could be the preferred choice for career-oriented women. If you are considering freezing your eggs, do it at the right time i.e. in your 20s and 30s.