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Five Common Misconceptions About Freezing Eggs
Freezing your eggs is one of the smartest decisions you can make if you’re destined to be a mother but aren’t ready just yet!
By harvesting eggs, you can continue pursuing your own personal and career goals without having to sacrifice both to have a child.
Freezing your eggs is a procedure that can also be used by those suffering medical conditions such as premature ovarian failure or people who require chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
This process shows promising results; however, it is understandable that certain misconceptions can play on the mind of those considering the treatment.
If you’re debating the idea of freezing eggs, there are four myths that should be debunked before you get started:
It’s only for older women
Arguably, the most common misconception made regarding freezing eggs is that it’s a procedure specially reserved for older women.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, it’s within your best interests to freeze your eggs before you turn 35.
When you exceed this age, your fertility begins to decline. In fact, it’s believed that the success rate for women under 35 is 32.2%, compared to 20.8% for 38 to 39-year olds.
It can damage your future fertility
When you’ve made the decision to freeze your eggs, there are always going to be question marks surrounding how effective your eggs are.
Eggs are usually extracted sooner rather than later in a woman’s life, as it is known that age that most affects egg quality, rather than how long they remain frozen for.
Frozen eggs don’t last very long
Years ago, worries about how long your eggs will last for would be well justified.
However, with today’s technology, there’s the option to flash freeze your eggs – known as vitrification – rather than having them frozen slowly.
This can significantly improve the success rate of egg freezing.
With this new technology, healthy babies can develop from eggs that have been frozen for around a decade.
All mature eggs are ready to receive a sperm cell and are cryopreserved using the fast freeze method.
You have to wait for a partner
There is certainly no truth to the claim that you have to wait for a partner to undergo an egg freezing procedure or have IVF treatment.
However, it’s generally believed that many women freeze their eggs to bide time to find an ideal partner to raise a child with.
If you intend to have a child and go forward in harvesting eggs, without a partner present, the decision is yours entirely.
It is time consuming
Another misconception is that the process is time-consuming, whereas it is relatively short.
When you freeze your eggs, a hormone injection is administered to ripen them. While you’re under sedation about 36 hours later, the eggs are collected in a procedure which only takes about 20 minutes.
Embryologists then use a microscope to examine the fluid to see whether an egg is present and then checked to find their maturity level.
The mature eggs which are ready to receive a sperm cell are cryopreserved using the fast freeze or vitrification method.
You can then thaw your eggs whenever you are ready to become a parent.
If you’re currently considering freezing your eggs to use at a later stage, remember how essential it is to carry out this process as early as possible, so your chances of conception are as high as they can be.
With these common misconceptions debunked, you should have a clearer idea about whether you’re an ideal candidate for fertility preservation.
Get in touch with your local fertility clinic today and speak to a consultant about how you can begin the egg freezing process.
