This can be an overwhelming question and area to consider š¤ÆOver the years I have adapted how I speak to my students about fertility, letting them know that whilst we are learning how to manage risk and protect against unwanted pregnancies when we first become sexually active, it is not always easy to conceive when you feel you are ready, for a myriad of reasons and that people with ovaries have a lot to consider when it comes to pregnancy!
āļø In terms of freezing eggs, consider:
-not all eggs you freeze will be viable
-an optimal time to freeze your eggs is in your 20s and early 30s
-egg freezing isnāt generally recommended for those after 38
-the process of freezing your eggs includes checks beforehand for infectious diseases/how your uterus looks/hormone levels etc, then youāll take medicine to stimulate your follicle growth (where the eggs are housed) plus medication to stop you ovulating. Once the eggs are ready for retrieval, you inject yourself to bring on ovulation and then your doctor will extract as many eggs as possible (under anaesthetic) …of course there can be side effects to this process as we are dealing with many hormones here
-this process, and then the storage of the eggs, is an expensive business. It varies from country to country but my estimate from research is between Ā£10,000-15,000 a cycle plus yearly storage.
-In the UK there seems to be a cap on 10 years of storage of eggs, although Iāve read that scientists say thereās no reason why they canāt be stored for longer
-The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority UK state that āegg freezing cycles and subsequent thawing account for only 1-2% of all IVF treatment cycles and even fewer result in a baby being bornā and that āCurrently women using their own frozen eggs in treatment have a success rate of 18% (30% with frozen donor eggs), which offers no guarantee of achieving a successful pregnancy and birth.ā
Of course, if you only look at fertility clinic sites u will read about all the success stories, which can make it difficult to understand the real chances of success. But-some are successful!š¶
Itās a decision only you can make after extensive research& talking to doctors ā¤ļø