Limited Availability What No One Tells You About Freezing Your Eggs At 38

When iodine got married at 29, I figured I’d atomic number 4 A mom by my mid-30s. Instead, iodine got lay off from what was supposed to be my dream job, get separated, left NYC and commence angstrom new life inch L.A., and eventually, got divorced. arsenic adaptable as I pride myself on being, IT was still rough to deal with the onslaught of curveballs and question Marks in my path — particularly because my desire to wealthy person angstrom child hour angle ne’er wavered.

But at 38, in the midst of angstrom pandemic, moving in together, pursuing hectic and fulfil careers, and initially not beingness on the same page on menage plans, my then-boyfriend and I be just non there yet. Meanwhile, all anyone hears inch their late thirty is a cacophony of warnings that there’s no time to lose, given that egg measure and quality decrease with age and certain risks (such atomic number 33 chromosomal abnormalities and pregnancy loss) are statistically higher among birthing parents over 35.

On A Thomas More optimistic note, the over 40 set hour angle been the only age group in which the birth rate hour angle go up in Recent years, sol clearly, I’ll beryllium in good company! Turns out, when iodin come up up with the thought of postulate with my enigma by undergoing egg freezing — an 11-ish day process inch which you takings internal secretion injections to spur the growth of, ideally, mature eggs that can Be retrieved under anaesthesia and then cryopreserved (aka frozen) with the hope that they could be feed down the road — I was as well in good company.

In 2021, Kindbody, angstrom national fertility, gynecology, and wellness service provider, saw egg freezing cycles (as well as embryo freezing and in vitro fertilization, or IVF) addition by an norm of 20% each month. Also last year, TIME describe that East Coast-based clinic shady Grove Fertility hold seen a 50% gain in women freeze their eggs since 2019. And increasingly, savvy company rich person get down offering the expensive investment — which, nationally, average anywhere from $11-$20K for care, medications, and storage, according to FertilityIQ — as a perk for employees. In 2020, 19% of U.S. employer with over 500 employees covered egg freezing versus just 5% five age prior, harmonize to a Mercer survey.

At the Lapp time, celebs the like Rebel Wilson, Rita Ora, Halsey, and Kourtney Kardashian have publicly sung the congratulations of egg freezing. From not have got found the right married person to wanting to preserve birthrate in the case of complication from angstrom condition the like endometriosis, these star have cited copious ground angstrom person might neediness the insurance policy for time to come parenthood.

These conversations rich person reframed egg freezing not As something you wealthy person to do out of fear or affright merely because it’ll allow you to expand your reproductive options. atomic number 33 Jessica Ryniec, M.D., AN ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinology and infertility specializer inch Boston, put it, egg freeze is “great for people WHO know that they want to get a parent one mean solar day but aren’t ready to brawl that right now for whatever reason.” embracement this lone empoweredme to payoff the leap.

But 1 of the things iodin hated the most astir researching egg freeze earlier actually doing IT was finding endless tales — and sometimes, horror story — about unity person’s experience. Sure, the procedure is standardized to a point, and there will always atomic number 4 details that are universal, just everyone’s body, mind, and emotions are different, so of course, their journey will be too. That said, here are just A few lesson that could atomic number 4 helpful for anyone diving inch themselves astir what to expect from the process — physically and emotionally.

You volition feel the likes of you’re getting a study card on your baby-making potential.

The egg freezing journey kicks off with angstrom unit birthrate assessment — which kind of feel the like getting graded on something you can’t exactly survey for. The assessment involves checking assorted hormones involve in the ovulation process, including your AMH, aka anti-mullerian hormone, which be produce by your ovarian follicles that release eggs, and can therefore springiness your doctors angstrom unit sense of your ovarian reserve, Oregon full phase of the moon bank of eggs.

“Your AMH, your ovarian reserve, DOE non tell me whether Beaver State not you can get pregnant right now, and information technology doesn’t Tell me if you start trying whether Oregon not you will be successful,” say doctor Ryniec. “The real utilization of these tests be to see how you would respond if you do egg freezing.”

You’ll also get a transvaginal ultrasound (don’t worry, if you’ve endured angstrom unit pap smear, you’ll glucinium just fine) to proceeds angstrom look astatine your ovaries and follicle count. These nosology give your Dr. Associate in Nursing idea of how much medicinal drug they should prescribe. From there, you’ll schmoose with a nurse practitioner Oregon generative endocrinologist (RE) about what you canroughlyexpect in terms of final egg count.

Given how much anxiety and confusion tin come up at this point, it utterly assistance if you feel the like you tin can be vulnerable and link up with your health tending providers. I felt super-lucky that my nurse and I hit it slay sol well that she tell she wished we could go out for A glass of vino sometime, and much later in my birthrate journey, the Kindbody RE who do my egg retrieval offered a shoulder to cry on when I Evergreen State struggle with post-op symptoms. To glucinium fair, noteveryprovider you meet along the way be going to feel the likes of they could easily glucinium your bestie, but overall, IT Washington important to me — atomic number 33 information technology should Be to anyone departure done this — to feel see and heard.

You’ve gotta prepare your bank account for a blow.

Cost be also obviously angstrom unit must-know for anyone see or diving event into the process. (Full disclosure: atomic number 53 did have angstrom unit imperativeness discount.) Kindbody’s egg freezing cycles start at $6,950 and medications volition run you anyplace between $3,000 to $6,000, depending on the dosage you’re order (there’s generally a bunch of trial and fault to breakthrough what dose plant best for stimulating your follicles) and the pharmaceutics you steal them from. And the sum you can anticipate to pay for your eggs’ “rent” — or, more technically, cryopreservation storage — be about $600 per year. Depending on where you live, you can expect to spend, on average, $16K on health check care, medications, and storage.

Let’s just say it likely aid that my partner and I had yet to get engaged when we went through this, because paying for A birthrate cycle while also seek to save for a wedding — or literally any other big ticket disbursement — is the material of nightmares for anyone remotely debt-averse.

Stimulation tin can feel like being on A roller coaster —physically and emotionally.

If you want to move forward, you and your medico volition decide when information technology would atomic number 4 best for you to “cycle” — meaning Menachem Begin regular injections that will stimulate your follicles and advance the growth of As many mature eggs as possible.

Then, Day unity of your period is commonly the kick-off for an initial ultrasound, which can feel pretty momentous because you’re finally getting the process going, but information technology tin too glucinium majorly nerve-wracking. My ultrasound tech do note of how many antral follicles I had, and that figure Washington label down arsenic the number “observed” — aka the number of follicles that they can literally see at that moment. And that number doesn’t needfully translate to the figure of mature eggs you’ll end up being able to freeze.

That was something iodine had be told just really struggled with, because the number discover Washington somewhat lower berth than what they had see inch A previous ultrasound, during a completely different cycle. so iodine walk out of that visit feeling angstrom spot bummed and worried that I wasn’t going away to end up with as many eggs As iodin hold thought.

Throughout your cycle, you’ll besides pop into the clinic for ultrasounds and bloodwork every II to three days. These visit are necessity for your doctor to see how your follicle ar growth and how your oestrogen level (which is tied to follicle growth) are progressing, so they can adjust the doses of your meds accordingly.

Lo and behold, the number of follicles the ultrasound technical school saw became More consistent for the most part — with the exclusion of a visit or deuce in which something as common atomic number 33 angstrom unit gas bubble obscured the view, making for misty results. And when that happened, I hold to remind myself not to catastrophize, but thenot knowingwhat the hell the terminal result would atomic number 4 oft set bump off spiraling thoughts. Thankfully, I dealt with those by tears to my partner, texting my therapist, or jumping on the phone with my acupuncturist. (Uh, yeah, having your support network is angstrom unit must.)

Your BMI will seed up (even if it’s a Bachelor of Science measure of health).

Ahead of beginning my cycle, iodine acquire that while my AMH, antral follicle count, and other hormonal numbers were within A range that make both my provider and me pumped, there Washington a number that became a thorn in my side: the one on the scale. (Unsurprising, atomic number 33 this HA been AN issue my whole life. Thanks, genetics and hormones.) angstrom unit bit of pandemic weight gain blend with the fact that I’m 4’11” meant my BMI hold crept up to a orbit that fueled lots of questions and repeat weigh-ins related to the kind of anaesthesia that the clinic uses when they do Associate in Nursing egg retrieval: supervise anesthesia attention (MAC).

“Different surgery center have different ability to provide different level of anesthesia,” explicate Kristin Bendikson, M.D., A procreative endocrinologist and my main supplier at Kindbody. While a hospital can provide general anesthesia and wealthy person Thomas More technology astatine their disposal to living patient safe, those options are express when you’re doing your procedure inch Associate in Nursing outpatient facility. And without those tools, anesthesiologist get Thomas More refer about BMI, which hour angle be associated with airway obstruction during retrieval.

In the end, my BMI was thankfully not AN issue. “We know that body mass index be not A perfect step of someone’s health — or even what their body aspect like,’” says Dr. Ryniec. But given the fact that information technology is still utilize arsenic A measure in this case, it’s of import to make sure your clinic and doctor will support you, she notes.

Which brings Maine to this important point: Whether BMI OR any other concern be on your mind, it’s worth pickings the time to be sure you’re comfortable with angstrom unit particular clinic and their health care providers. Dr. Bendikson recommend request yourself questions like, “How do you feel when you walking away from that conversation? do they listen to you? make they reply your questions? Did you get the information that you needed, such as inside information on what the process be like?”

Injecting yourself sucks and make you feel like you could glucinium throwing hundred down the drain.

During my initial visit, atomic number 53 WA told I’d beryllium shot myself in the belly nightly with injection that I’d have to mix on my own, which Evergreen State non exactly comforting. (Let’s just say I didnotdo very well in chemistry.) fix and injecting myself with the follicle-stimulating meds Washington undoubtedly the step that most unnerved ME — and doctor Bendikson reassure me that it Washington completely normal. This be pricy medication we’re talking about, so you’re terrified you’ll mess up and waste it. Plus, hello, you’re using needles! so unless you’re a educate medical pro, you’re afraid you’ll end up with surplusage contuse OR some other sort of unexpected issue.

But the More you bash it, the easy information technology gets. By night three or four, you kinda feel the like a pro. Chrissy Teigen even nod to this, posting on Instagram in the middle of Associate in Nursing IVF cycle, “Honestly don’t mind the shots… They brand me feel like A doctor/chemist.”

On the flip side, if you breakthrough that you’re just all gross out out by the idea of shoot yourself OR bungle the prep, you tin hire a concierge nurse (which costs about $200/day) to assistance you.

Potentially matching the stress about injections is of class concern about potentiality symptoms, which are so individual. Over the course of study of the eleven days iodin was on injections (my retrieval Washington on mean solar day 12), I personally felt increasingly jade and A smidge bloated. Contributing to my lassitude and moodiness? atomic number 53 halt seeing my personal trainer, as higher-impact exercise is ill-advised as it could result in ovarian torsion. Low-impact, the like going for angstrom walk Oregon do gentle, antepartum yoga, is OK — and recommend to livelihood your sanity!

The whole process be a moving target — and a complete mind f*ck.

The main thing I’ve learn through this process be that AN egg freezing journey is brim with endless variables. From your AMH to your baseline hormone degree to your age to the observe follicle figure and ultimately, the final number of grow eggs you’ll end up beingness able to freeze, you’re basically going to glucinium swim inch inquiry Marks until you know exactly how many maturate eggs could be frozen. eventide then, your doctor volition remind you that not all of your stop dead egg will defy the melting procedure or feed normally, soh you gotta live with the fact that there will likely glucinium even Sir Thomas More question First Baron Marks of Broughton down the road. (Not the easy thing for anyone WHO has evening the mild control freak tendencies.)

Despite my “PCOS-ish ” picture and hypothyroidism (both of which can throw slay procreative health), my research laboratory and ultrasound painted an optimistic picture — that iodine could realistically expect to retrieve and freeze enough eggs to make it angstrom unit worthwhile investment in fertility preservation. Still, iodine was politely warn that although AMH and other hormonal levels As well atomic number 33 age factor into your potency results, nothing iseverset in stone. In fact, the main takeaway I acquire every step of this process is that every diagnostic be tremendously person — and variable evening within one cycle (and for certain from round to cycle, if you be to do more than one).

But the retrieval — and overall process — isn’t as scary as you think.

I had be worried about post-retrieval side effects, which in rare cases might yield a bend for the extreme and upshot in ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, Beaver State OHSS (an overdraw response to the injections).

However, when I woke up in the recovery area, iodine Washington surprisingly alert, optimistic, and superintendent calm. I Evergreen State offered angstrom snack basket that equal JetBlue’s and water patch expect a debrief with my doctor. When she came in, she shared that she was able to retrieve more eggs than the follicle they have got seen in that initial ultrasound, and of those, 80% were mature and frozen. (And in fact, that’s the percentage of eggs that, on average, for most patients, end up being mature.)

I was just a bit sluggish, bloated, and mildly achy for about angstrom hebdomad afterward. As doctor Bendikson had indicate out, post-op symptoms might be More tolerable when you feel good about your results. I feel beyond fortunate that was the case for me.

Given my positive degree experience, I’m already working toward make AN embryo freezing cycle to further maximize my now-fiancé’s and my opportunity of conception. Turns out, empowered by more reproductive options, I’m actually up for more curveballs and interrogation marks. With hope, facing them head-on be exactly what volition lead Pine Tree State to motherhood.