“Should I freeze my eggs?”
I for one am thrilled that people are asking this question. Why? Because it means that the age related fertility decline is being recognized, and Egg Freezing or “Oocyte (egg) Cryopreservation (freezing)” is recognized as an option for women to PRESERVE their fertility.
Let’s look at the facts: -There is a gradual decrease in female fertility starting around AGE 32 and a rapid decrease in fertility at AGE 37. .
If women are not in the right space to build their families during peak fertile years (ahem…those are in the 20s!!!!) egg freezing is an option to preserve quality oocytes. Importantly, 1 egg does not equal 1 baby. This is a very common misconception. A great paper I reference is the Harvard study from 2017 which has a graph depicting live birth predictions based on age and the number of eggs retrieved. You can see (second pic) that this is age dependent so the older you are, the more eggs you need to have the highest chance of having 1 live birth (ie baby).
I feel very strongly about counseling women about the age related fertility decline and giving them options to preserve their future fertility if they desire. I usually say “ you may never come back and use your eggs, but if you find out you NEED THEM and you don’t have them you may forever regret not freezing”. .
It’s also a completely personal, bad-ass, empowering feeling to know you have your eggs on ice. My recommendations: find a physician who will appropriately counsel you about how many eggs you should retrieve for your age (this may mean multiple cycles), likelihood of using them, best age to undergo egg freezing (look at the graph – I recommend age 35) and support you on this journey. Remember, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! Do your research and recognize that there is an age related fertility decline and there IS something you can do about it.