Egg freezing - are there any long-term health consequences?

[charmingpony]

32, single AF, and considering egg freezing. My big concern is really about the longer-term health impacts -- I've read that subjecting your body to all of those hormones can increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers down the line. If this is the case, I'm not doing it. But I want to know what doctors have said to you about this.

Also, were there any more less serious but still lasting impacts on your body? Did you gain weight - if so, how much and did the process make it more difficult to try to lose that weight?

Would appreciate people's experiences here X

Hi @charmingpony no doctor has mentioned long term health impacts to me personally. I’ve done two egg collections (and my wife has done 4) and no one has ever commented on it being risky long term. But if you’re concerned you could always raise this with a dr at an IVF clinic so you get professional advise.

Neither me nor my wife noticed any particular weight gain or any lasting impacts, but I guess this can vary between individuals. In my experience the egg retrieval process on a physical level hasn’t been too bad, it’s been more the emotional difficulties of not getting enough eggs etc that’s been harder, but again this is just a very personal experience.

If you’re considering it, the younger you do it the better. The best thing to do is probably book an initial consultation with a clinic to get more personalised advice. Good luck with it if you decide to go for it!

I've had several egg collections, as well as some cycles were egg stimulation wasn't working as hoped and was abandoned.

I may have felt a bit bloated at times but most of the side effects were related to the hormones and the emotional side of treatment.

At 32 and single, it could be an option to freeze some eggs, but be very aware of success rates, your own plans, the fact that having eggs frozen is unfortunately no guarantee of embryos in the future. Not to be pessimistic but I worry that some clinics may exaggerate the benefits of egg freezing.
I would probably do it, as long as you're informed.

This is absolutely the best decision to make at your age. This is my biggest regret in life: not freezing my eggs.

...And as others have mentioned, there's no way to know and no guarantee if you eggs will form successful embryos and if those implant in future. But if gives you a huge safety cushion. I am not sure about health risks,etc, but I am sure those are minimal, as basically it's the same process as anyone going through IVF. Side effects are negligible as well. In my case, its was very comparable to various pains and aches that you have before your period.