Egg freezing and embryo cryopreservation help women balance career and family planning
Professional women have long had to make hard decisions about whether or when to have children. They factor in their current job and career goals. They consider their age. Often, relationship status also plays a role in their choices. To afford themselves more time to accomplish goals – or just allow additional time for deciding – more and more women are looking into egg freezing and embryo cryopreservation. Our Nashville fertility doctors can provide a wealth of information to help women decide about pursuing these fertility preservation options.
Why are egg freezing and embryo cryopreservation coming to the forefront?
Discussion of oocyte cryopreservation, or egg freezing, and embryo cryopreservation, or embryo freezing, is prevalent. The topic can be found in the news, on social media, and reflected in popular television shows.
Americans are, on average, waiting longer to have children. Improved technology, greater success rates, and growing numbers of patients encourage women to consider egg and embryo freezing. For many career women, it keeps the window for having children open longer.
When to freeze eggs or embryos?
The term “biological clock” gets thrown around casually, but it’s a real consideration for a woman’s fertility. As a woman gets older, the number and quality of her eggs decreases. Specifically, fertility begins to decline at age 30 and decreases at a faster rate in your mid to late 30s.
The greatest determinant in the success of a future pregnancy is the health of the egg, which depends primarily on the age of the woman when she froze her eggs.
Most people use their frozen eggs or embryos within three to 10 years. However, the length of time frozen does not seem to have an impact on viability.
How do you decide?
The prevalence of fertility preservation procedures in today’s culture should not influence a woman to freeze her eggs. This is a very personal, individual decision for each woman.
Our Nashville fertility doctors encourage women to carefully consider their health and reproductive goals when exploring egg or embryo freezing. It should entail thoughtful conversations with your physician and, if appropriate, your partner.
Developing a timeline based on career goals, medical history, relationship status and the number of children you hope to have may give you a better idea of your timing for freezing eggs.
Time and money
How much time will egg freezing require, and how much will it cost?
From start to finish, the process of preparation, treatment and egg retrieval is relatively brief. The egg retrieval and freezing process typically takes about two weeks. It involves daily hormone injections and close monitoring by our fertility doctors. The process will have no lasting physical impact on a woman. There is no recovery period, and egg retrieval does not decrease a woman’s supply of eggs.
If you choose embryo cryopreservation, the timeline does not change. But you will need to secure sperm to be used for fertilization at the time of egg retrieval, either from a partner or a sperm donor.
The financial cost of egg freezing should be factored into the overall planning. Most insurance plans do not cover the cost of freezing eggs. However, some companies recognize the benefit of retaining great employees and have now begun offering it as a benefit. As you plan, ask your employer if they cover some or all of the cost of egg or embryo cryopreservation.
Our Nashville fertility doctors are available to help you better understand your fertility options and develop a plan for your specific life circumstances. Contact Nashville Fertility Center for an appointment.
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