15 Facts About Freezing Your Eggs - Page 9
Freezing one’s eggs is becoming increasingly popular. For many women, the ability to freeze their eggs means they don’t have to choose between having a child and…anything at all. They don’t need to rush to have a child when they don’t feel financially stable enough, all because the clock is ticking. They don’t need to have a child with the wrong person, all because he was up for the challenge of parenting, and be tied to him for eternity. They don’t need to have a child when, quite frankly, they’re not done being selfish yet! They still want the option to pack up everything and travel for a month if the inspiration hits. They still want the option to buy $200 shoes and not feel terrible about it. They still want the option to get a little too drunk on a Wednesday. And that’s okay. Freezing your eggs means you don’t need to choose between having a child, and everything else. But here are some things you should know about it.
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Women do it for health reasons too
Women don’t only freeze their eggs because they aren’t ready to have kids; they also do so for medical reasons. Some women, for example, who have cancer have to freeze their eggs before undergoing chemotherapy, since it can damage their eggs.
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Here’s who is doing it
The average age of women who are having their eggs frozen, or looking into having their eggs frozen is 36.
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You’ll be medicated
You’ll undergo fertility medication for two weeks leading up to your egg freezing process. This is to ensure your doctor retrieves the best eggs possible.
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If you’re a smoker…
You will be asked to stop smoking for three months before your procedure. So if you’re a smoker who wants her eggs frozen next month, that’s not an option.
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If you’re a drinker…
If you can truly limit yourself to around three drinks per week, this shouldn’t affect your egg health. But if you’re a heavy drinker, you may need to stop drinking entirely for three months before freezing your eggs, to reverse some of the damage.
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You may need to go on a special diet
Not to lose weight, but just to make your body as healthy as possible before freezing your eggs so that you can make your eggs as healthy as possible. Some common dietary recommendations are eating mostly organic foods, and staying away from processed ones.
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You’ll freeze 15 to 30 eggs
The clinic where you have your eggs frozen will recommend that your freeze between 15 and 30, depending on your age, health, and other factors. This is because not every egg is guaranteed to produce a pregnancy, so you need backups.
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The eggs stay frozen forever
Don’t worry; they won’t expire! The eggs are frozen in liquid nitrogen and will stay in good shape for eternity.
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When your eggs decline
The eggs of most women stay quite healthy into their thirties, but egg health can decline in your forties.
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Not just anybody can or should do it
It’s ultimately your choice whether or not to freeze your eggs, but your clinic will do due diligence and perform an ovarian assessment report. This will measure your hormone levels to determine the likelihood that your eggs will result in pregnancy.
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You can pay per cycle
Depending on your clinic, you may be able to pay a flat rate on a per cycle basis. That is usually after an initial consultation and ovarian reserve test fee, which might be in the $300 to $500 range.
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Costs vary depending on your health
Your total costs will vary depending on how many fertility treatments you have to undergo.
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Some companies are adding it to their health benefits
Facebook and Apple have already started making changes to their employee medical plans to cover egg freezing.
