Sure, why not? Here’s the deal with OOCYTE CRYOPRESERVATION (yep). It’s a fertility treatment where a woman’s mature eggs are taken from her ovaries and frozen for later use, aka until she’s ready to get pregnant. It’s away to buy time if you think you want to have babies, but not yet. That way, you can use younger, healthier eggs when you are ready.
The process of freezing your eggs is similar to IVF in that you undergo four to six weeks of hormone injections prior to egg retrieval to stimulate the ovaries and ripen many many eggs at once. Once the eggs have matured, a doctor will insert a needle through the vagina and up into the ovaries. Following the procedure, the eggs are analyzed for any sort of damage. The healthy ones are frozen and stored.
When you’re ready for baby time, your eggs will be thawed, fertilized and monitored for growth and viability. If the process seems overwhelming to think about, here is a list of facts you should know in advance of freezing your eggs:
Do You Research: Check out the American Society Of Reproductive Medicine to find the clinic nearest you. Clinics vary, so be sure to find one that suits your needs, whether it’s only freezing, or freezing AND thawing. Also, be sure to find one with great success rates around the thawed eggs.
Prepare Yourself For The Cost: Find out if your insurance covers egg freezing, but don’t bet on it. In general, insurance isn’t a sure thing, through some providers may throw in a bit. Plan to spend around $7k to $13k for every cycle, between $2,500 and $5,000 for medication and up to $1k a year to store the eggs.
It’s Not A Sure Thing: The data is still out on the success rates of egg freezing, so stay optimistic but know that a successful pregnancy hovers at around 40-50 percent per egg thaw. Also, keep in mind that pregnancy does get harder as you age, so the younger you are when you freeze your eggs, the better.
