For women, the prime reproductive years are in their 20’s and early 30’s. Today, however, we generally have children later in life, in order to achieve personal or career goals or to find true love before becoming parents. Postponing pregnancy and parenthood can reduce the chances of a healthy pregnancy, if you do not take advantage of your high quality eggs in your 20’s or early 30’s. That is when egg freezing becomes relevant – a good option to preserve your high quality eggs and store them until you feel ready to become pregnant.
Here, we list some of the reasons for freezing your eggs to help you decide whether this act could be relevant for you.
Why freeze eggs for future pregnancy?
There can be different reasons why egg freezing is a good option for you. You may be considering egg freezing for personal reasons or for medical reasons. It is your choice to freeze your eggs, and whatever the reasons we will be happy to help you at Cryos.
Personal reasons
Egg freezing is worth to consider if you know that you would like to become pregnant in the future, but you are not ready to become a parent just yet. Personal reasons for choosing egg freezing could be:
- You want to get your career going before becoming a parent
- Finishing your education is your priority
- You are waiting to find the right partner to have a child with
- You may also consider storing eggs for religious reasons.
Choosing to have your eggs frozen for personal reasons is also called Social egg freezing, which you can read more about by following the link.
Medical reasons
You might be in a position, where your fertility is at risk at an early age. Freezing your eggs is a good option if you want to preserve your eggs and have the possibility of future pregnancies. Medical reasons for considering egg freezing include, but are not limited, to the following:
- Medical treatment such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, that might destroy your eggs and possibly cause infertility
- A family history of early menopause
If you are undergoing medical treatment for cancer or any other diseases which may impact your ability to have a child in future, we recommend that you discuss your options with your doctor or treating physician to decide on whether freezing your eggs is suitable for you.
If you have a family history of early menopause you may also choose to freeze your eggs as a precaution. Some forms of early menopause (such as premature ovarian failure) are genetically linked and egg freezing offers a chance to preserve eggs before they are depleted.
Who can freeze their eggs?
Egg freezing is used by individuals or couples who have made the decision to wait, but who also want to be prepared for the future. By having high quality eggs in storage, you will be prepared when you decide that the time is right for you to become parent(s).
Pregnancy rates from frozen eggs can depend on various factors including your age at the time of the egg freezing. This is why Cryos recommends taking advantage of your high quality eggs in your 20’s and early 30’s. The chance of a healthy pregnancy is statistically low if you are 40 years old or more, and Cryos is therefore unable to offer egg freezing if you are more than 40 years old.
Is egg freezing relevant for me?
If you consider egg freezing, feel free to contact us. By leading you through a couple of questions, we can help determine whether egg freezing is the right option for you, and when it would be the right time to freeze your eggs.