The discussion around freezing eggs is a topic that is becoming more and more common when discussing family planning these days. Freezing eggs, otherwise known as oocyte cryopresevation is considered by women for a variety of reasons. For some, medical reasons such as cancer or other illnesses propel women to freeze their eggs as the possibility of infertility exists with treatment. Others realize that their window for the healthiest eggs come when they are younger, but realize that they are not ready to start a family yet.
We’re sharing helpful tips along with some of the things you might want to consider before you decide to freeze your eggs.
What Is Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing involves preserving your eggs to be fertilized later. To start undergoing the egg-freezing process, you will first take medication to induce egg growth. Then, the eggs will be harvested from the ovaries and frozen. At a later point, the eggs can be thawed and fertilized with sperm to form an embryo, and the embryo can be transferred into the uterus during the embryo transfer cycle.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Freezing Eggs?
A reproductive endocrinologist (infertility specialist) can provide testing to assess if you are a good candidate for egg freezing. Generally, women younger than 40 are well suited for freezing eggs.
What To Consider Before Freezing Your Eggs
Freezing your eggs is not as simple as a quick doctor’s appointment. The process requires hormonal modifications over the course of months to allow eggs to be retrieved. Along with the time commitment, you must also consider the implications on your mental and physical health, as well as the cost incurred with the procedure. Additionally, you will want to decide how many years you want to store your eggs, as facilities will charge you based on the years your eggs are held in their frozen state.
Why Should You Freeze Your Eggs?
There are many different reasons why women might consider freezing their eggs. Here are some of the most common.
You Want to Postpone Conception
Women in their 20s and early 30s might consider focusing on their careers and want to delay pregnancy, or perhaps they still need to find the right partner. However, it becomes more challenging to conceive as you age. As women age, the number and quality of their eggs diminish. Eventually, ovulation ceases when menopause is reached, typically occurring between 45 and 55 years of age. If you want to postpone conception, you want to ensure your eggs are still healthy — and a way you might achieve this is through egg freezing.
You Might Face a Severe Health Complication
Health care professionals might advise patients undergoing cancer treatment with chemotherapy or individuals diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) to freeze their eggs before starting their treatment as a means to preserve fertility.
You Are Contemplating a Gender Transition
Individuals who were assigned female at birth and are thinking about undergoing a gender transition may also want to explore options that allow them to uphold their fertility while undergoing treatments like hormone therapy and surgery. Egg freezing can be a viable choice to ensure the preservation of their reproductive potential for the future.
You Are Considering Becoming an Egg Donor
Donating your eggs can be an ideal way to help another family achieve the dream of parenthood. Once your eggs are harvested, they might be mixed with the intended father’s sperm or frozen.
When Should I Freeze My Eggs?
The optimal time to freeze your eggs would be when you are in your 20s or early 30s, when you have healthier eggs and a higher ovarian reserve. Having your fertility hormones tested with the help of your doctor can determine the health of your eggs, which will help you decide if egg freezing is the right decision for you. Medical professionals agree that women over the age of 38 should weigh all this information, along with the physical and financial expectations, before they decide to freeze their eggs.
What Are Some Pros and Cons of Freezing Your Eggs?
While the egg-freezing process may seem like a surefire way to preserve your long-term fertility options, there are some things you should keep in mind before deciding to do so. For example, not every retrieved egg is viable when they go through the warming process after being frozen. While your eggs might be from your 25 year old body, using them at 35+ means that there are other complications involved with getting pregnant and maintaining a pregnancy. Finally, check with your insurance company to understand what is covered and what out of pocket expenses you will have for the entire procedure and storage.
If you know that you have a family history of early menopause, if you have a syndrome that might affect your fertility, or if you have been diagnosed with cancer, egg freezing is absolutely an option that you should explore for yourself.
What Happens When You’re Ready to Use Your Eggs?
When the time is right to pull your eggs out of storage, you’ll have to be prepared for what comes next. First, the eggs are placed in a warming solution and evaluated. Then, either insemination or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is decided to be performed based on each individual patient. If there is reason to believe that penetration of the sperm to the egg could be an issue, ICSI is performed. Did you know that a sperm releases an enzyme that allows it to dissolve a path through the outer shell of the egg so that fertilization occurs? According to UCLA Health, “ eggs that survived the freezing process are fertilized with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where a single sperm is injected directly into the egg, and the fertilized eggs will grow in culture until the embryo(s) are ready to be transferred into the uterus to achieve pregnancy, typically 3-5 days after fertilization.”
How Can Hann’s Pharmacy Help?
The professionals at Hann’s Pharmacy are highly experienced within the field of fertility, and have the medications necessary to allow for proper, safe, and successful egg retrieval. In partnership with our patients and their medical teams, we offer private, face to face consulting with women to discuss the fertility medications that might be prescribed for egg retrieval as well as a quiet space to wait while the medications are being filled.
Our goal is to provide caring counseling as well as the reassurance that our customers need not worry about medication packaging and will be educated on proper storage. With years of experience in fulfilling fertility medications, we are well-versed in insurance coverages and potential discounts to assist our patients on their entire journey. Hann’s also offers training on medication injection, which is a crucial component for many undergoing fertility treatment.
Here is a list of fertility services and medications Hann’s Pharmacy provides:
- Full stock of all fertility medications, including Menopur, Endometrin, Novarel, Gonal-F, Follistim ,Ganirelix, Cetrotide, Ovidrel, and Crinone
- Compounded medications, such as micro-leuprolide, leuprolide triggers, and progesterone in ethyl oleate
- Convenient free delivery options, overnight or same-day when necessary
- On-call fertility pharmacist available 24/7 to answer your questions
- Communication by text, fully encrypted for privacy
- Instructional videos and relevant resources available
- Quiet, private consult room to discuss medications and give injection trainings
- Medication usage guides
- Saturday hours for those unexpected, last minute needs
Freezing your eggs is a big decision and isn’t one that should be taken lightly. While reasons for doing so vary, the important thing to know is that Hann’s is here to help to make your journey to egg freezing the smoothest one possible.
At Hann’s Fertility Pharmacy, our team is ready to help you start or continue your growing family. By scheduling a one-on-one consultation with our experts, you can privately discuss the treatments and ask any questions you may have about your fertility journey.
