To consider freezing my eggs?

[Eggsinmebasket]

I’m 32, single… still recovering from a break up. It was a long term relationship. All my 20s went into it.

I know I will want to be a mum, and think that maybe freezing some of my eggs might take the pressure off.

any advice? Anyone has been through it?

Following as I’m 33 and in a similar position. Shit isn’t it!

I didn't freeze my eggs but have been through IVF, which is essentially what you'd be doing without the embryo being transferred at the end! Egg freezing is expensive and not a fail-safe insurance policy to definitely have children in the future. There was a good BBC documentary called Egg Freezing and Me which I thought was really balanced and discussed the down sides which no one seems to talk about. I'd recommend watching that as a good starting point! X

I know that there is no guarantee, but I guess there is no guarantee to anything when it comes to conceiving.

From what I read, the best eggs are at late20s early 30s and defo best to get them frozen by 34. I know you can still get pregnant later on but wonder if freezing some eggs may give me a peace of mind.

it’s utter shite btw, I’d love to be in a place where I’m in a relationship and nesting, planning/having children 😞

If you can afford it and it will make you feel better, go for it. You're not that old in the grand scheme of things (I met my husband at 37 and had a baby naturally at 41) but try and move on from the ex, get yourself out there and hopefully find a relationship that will give you what you need.

I did this when I was 37 and in a LTR but wasn’t ready for children/wasn’t sure it was for us.

Research the costs and be prepared to exceed them. One cycle cost around £5K. It was more than anticipated because I needed extra/higher doses of the follicle stimulation medication. Then there’s a storage cost every year.

You need to be in a good place mentally. The hormone changes too bad for me but it did feel quite isolating as DP wasn’t involved at all (I injected on my own and he didn’t come to any appointments). Have friends/family to speak to - someone will need to collect you from the clinic after the procedure too.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions and the uncertainty of how long before collection/how many I’d get was quite exhausting (but didn’t hit me until afterwards).

I had borderline reserves and they predicted at the beginning I’d get 7 eggs. I got 9, which have a 20% chance of leading to a “live birth”.

Freezing an embryo gives better results, but that wasn’t for us.

Overall, I wish I’d done it sooner and think I’d actually have been stronger emotionally if I did it while single. I’ve not lost anything though and as it was covered by our health insurance, it was a relative no-brainer. Two weeks of disruption and the best sleep ever during the procedure!

Oh and I discovered MN during the process. There were so many posts about FSH levels, outcomes, experiences etc. Take a look at what others have posted before - much more useful than anything a dr told me.

I would definitely recommend doing it, and sooner rather than later as egg quality diminishes with age.

I’m 34 and just finished my second cycle. I’ve reached my target number of eggs (which was recommended by my consultant). Total cost including all tests, first year of storage costs and needing additional medication came to about £12.5k (London clinic).

I by no means consider it as any kind of insurance, and I’m still very much on the fence about having a baby, but I did it to give myself more options should I need to go down the IVF route at some point. That’s all egg freezing can do - give you more options / a higher chance of success when you come to do IVF at a more advanced age.