I’m not saying I began the pattern, however I used to be undoubtedly the primary of my mates to freeze my eggs. At 33, freshly out of a relationship and in full-on panic mode, I felt like my complete future had been mapped out… till it wasn’t. My timeline for marriage, youngsters, and all the things in between was all of a sudden up in the air. So, egg freezing turned my security internet. And I bought fortunate — my job lined the price of the process (although, with most firms, that’s nonetheless uncommon). It felt like a no brainer.
Across the similar time, I met my now-husband. And girls, should you meet a man who’s cool with you freezing your eggs — and much more so, supportive of it — he’s a keeper.
Quick-forward just a few years, and now, at nearly 40, I’ve a 2-year-old son I conceived naturally. I’ve been dragging my ft on attempting for a second little one, partly as a result of the final time round was such an emotional rollercoaster, and life feels fairly manageable in the intervening time. Nonetheless, I do know it’s one thing I in the end need.
Two months in the past, I ditched my contraception, purchased a thermometer that pairs with the Natural Cycles app, and commenced charting my fertility. However I’ll be sincere: Making an attempt for child quantity two isn’t as thrilling as the primary time. We’re older and extra exhausted, and the strain for it to occur shortly feels extra excessive. So, with 16 frozen eggs sitting on ice, I’ve been questioning — how are they? Do they miss me? However extra critically, how and when do I really use them?
To get some readability, I reached out to a few fertility consultants, all board-certified in obstetrics/gynecology and reproductive endocrinology, to achieve some perception into what it takes to get pregnant with frozen eggs.
What’s the egg-freezing course of like?
As a refresher (and since mother mind is actual!), I spoke with Dr. Angeline N. Beltsos to interrupt down the egg-freezing course of. She defined that step one is figuring out your egg reserve, which entails testing two hormones: AMH (for egg rely) and FSH (for egg high quality). An ultrasound can also be used to verify what number of seen eggs there are. “After assessing this and evaluating it to the girl’s age, we are able to estimate what number of eggs are wanted to offer her an excellent likelihood of getting a child,” Beltsos shares. “Usually, 15 eggs in youthful ladies give a couple of 70% likelihood of success.” (This is a useful tool to estimate your probabilities of a reside delivery from frozen eggs.)
The egg-freezing course of entails two weeks of hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries, adopted by a “set off shot” to assist the eggs mature. The ultimate step is egg retrieval, finished below anesthesia. “We use a vaginal ultrasound with a tiny needle to gather the eggs right into a check tube,” she says. Within the phrases of Celine Dion, “It is all coming again to me now.”
The 1st step: verify. However what about step two? Is it time? I requested Dr. Alexis Greene after I ought to think about using my frozen eggs. She defined that the timing is patient-dependent, however usually, ladies over 35 ought to seek the advice of a fertility physician after six months of attempting to conceive with out success. “Until you’ve recognized fertility points or irregular cycles, that is if you’d need to are available,” Greene advises.
Dr. Carrie Wambach, who froze my eggs in 2019, echoed this recommendation. “You bought pregnant simply two years in the past and have no high-risk situations. Strive for 3 to 6 months, and should you’re not pregnant, we’ll thaw your eggs.” Excellent — an actionable sport plan!
Wambach additionally shared some sobering stats. At my age (39), the prospect of conceiving naturally every month is simply 8-10%. Nonetheless, at age 25, it is nonetheless solely about 25%. Utilizing my 33-year-old eggs to create embryos and genetically testing them will increase my odds of being pregnant to 60-65%.
A subject that got here up throughout these conversations was miscarriage. Wambach identified that the danger of miscarriage after age 40 is about 40-50%. But when I exploit my 33-year-old eggs to create embryos which can be genetically examined, that threat drops to beneath 10%. Beltsos added that youthful eggs are much less more likely to end in miscarriage or genetic situations like Down syndrome. “When embryos are irregular, they typically don’t implant, and in the event that they do, most will miscarry, stopping us from having a child with points,” she explains. “With age comes the next threat of miscarriage.”
Lastly, the query of if I needed an extra little one got here up. If I had been to need a third, the medical doctors all advised attempting a bit longer by myself to conceive naturally. Props to any dad and mom of three, however that doesn’t curiosity me!
I need to use my eggs. Now what?
I might make an appointment on the fertility clinic and are available with my husband. We might have to verify our genetic service check is updated (we did this for our first little one), my husband would do a semen evaluation, and we might check for infectious illness. A specialised ultrasound is completed to verify the uterus to verify it’s in an excellent place to have an embryo implanted.
Subsequent, we might select a thaw date. I’d seemingly plan to thaw the entire eggs and create embryos. Nonetheless, some folks could determine to fertilize just a few eggs for non secular or political reasons, as they could have issues about creating additional embryos.
The eggs could be thawed and fertilized within the lab. Greene explains, “Not each egg will survive the thaw, and never each egg will fertilize.” Dr. Beltsos provides, “Of the mature eggs that survive, about 70% will fertilize and grow to be embryos. Half of these will become day-five embryos, however not all will end in a being pregnant.” As with all the things in life, there are not any ensures.
Many individuals go for genetic testing to display for chromosomal abnormalities as soon as the embryo reaches day 5 – 6. This is identical testing you are able to do when you’re pregnant, however figuring out beforehand is clearly higher. Despite the fact that my eggs had been 33, I might seemingly nonetheless check them for peace of thoughts. As soon as a wholesome embryo is discovered, it is time to put together the physique for implantation.
This entails a month of hormone remedy. Wambach described two choices: a medicated cycle or a pure one. In a medicated cycle, you’re taking estrogen drugs adopted by progesterone photographs. In a pure cycle, you go to the clinic ceaselessly to trace ovulation, then take vaginal progesterone and have the embryo implanted six days later (that is just for these with common cycles and the power to go to the clinic typically).
I requested if implantation is like egg retrieval, and fortunately, it is way more chill (my phrases, not the medical doctors’). Wambach clarifies, “Most sufferers take Valium and are available with a full bladder. The process is much like a Pap smear — we insert a speculum and a tiny catheter into the uterus. Most individuals do not feel it, and also you watch the embryo being implanted through ultrasound.”
So, what’s my subsequent transfer?
For me, a sigh of aid! I be ok with my probabilities for a wholesome being pregnant. Since we bought pregnant shortly with our first, we’ll strive the old school approach a bit longer. I am not a glass-half-empty individual, however I will be practical — if I do get pregnant naturally, I do know there’s nonetheless an opportunity of miscarriage. And cash performs a job right here, too. Since I am not identified with infertility, I am holding off for now. The silver lining? In 2025, California will mandate that large-group well being plans cowl infertility remedies. (You possibly can verify in case your state is on board here.)
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