Egg Freeze as a Means to Preserving Fertility for Career-Minded Women

Author: JulieKCollins | Posted: 07.12.2011

Thanks to the advances made in science technology, more women are taking control of their biological clocks and putting them on hold, at least for some time. The art of freezing eggs is still in its infancy, as researchers are learning how to effectively freeze eggs without destroying their tissue. Since the human egg mostly contains water, as much has to be removed for the egg as possible before freezing. If not, ice crystals can develop and lower the viability of the egg. With the intense preparation, hormones and retrieval process for an egg donation, it’s important that as many eggs are viable for a healthy embryo as possible.

Even though egg donations have been used in regards to fertility treatments, it hasn’t been until more recently that women have considered egg freeze cycles as options for themselves. With the cost of this procedure, egg freezing is most attractive to career-minded women who have the funds to carry out the process. And it is these women who are waiting longer to start their families, as they want to establish themselves in their careers before making the plunge into motherhood. For many of these women, it’s not until they are in their 30s or even early-40s that they become interested in having children.

The egg freeze process is not one that just happens overnight. It includes a round of hormones and the egg retrieval process, as well as several doctor’s appointments and ultrasounds. Once done, the process costs about $12,000 to $14,000. When the woman is ready to use her eggs, she will also need to pay for the cost of in vitro fertilization, which costs thousands as well. Just to go through the process, with no guarantee that it will even work, women are looking at spending as much as $40,000.

But for many women, especially those who have the funds to work with, the cost is worth it. Women like having options when it comes to their reproductive clocks, which always seem to be “ticking” along. With options like an egg freeze, women are able to take control of their future fertility and offer themselves a better chance that they’ll get pregnant when they want to. Women who have frozen their eggs say that the peace of mind that it provides is invaluable, as they can focus on their career goals, while knowing that their fertility is preserved.

It’s important to note however, that freezing eggs isn’t a ticket to a pregnancy. Since a woman only produces a few eggs each month - one that is released in ovulation and several others that are absorbed by the body - one cycle may only give you a few mature eggs to work with. Experts agree that it takes 10 to 20 eggs to have a fair shot at pregnancy, which means a few cycles may be needed to collect this many eggs. Not only does it cost tens of thousands of dollars to go through the egg freeze process, but also there are annual storage fees.egg donor in Atlanta.

Nevertheless, this technology is certainly advantageous, and many doctors hope that in time, it will be easier and more affordable to obtain. In the past, egg freezing was only offered to cancer patients, but now, any woman can take advantage if she feels she needs a reproductive extension. What many do hope for is that younger women are made aware of egg freezing and how it can increase their chance at a healthy pregnancy later on. Many women aren’t familiar with the process until they are older and their egg supply may be diminishing already. Even though many women in their 20s aren’t yet considering having a family, it is these women that are the best candidates for freezing eggs.

As we delve further into egg freezing, there will also have to be certain criteria that must be established, such as how old a woman can be when she uses the eggs. Many clinics suggest that age 50 should be the cutoff, but others argue that as long as the woman has her uterus, a healthy pregnancy can be achieved. Furthermore, there are more questions to be answered in regards to how long frozen eggs stay viable and the best ways for preserving the eggs. The most important message to come from egg freezing is that women finally have options and can override the biological clock to some degree, focusing on both a career and a family.


About Author:
Julie Collins writes about infertility issues that people may face today, and the possibility of conceiving with the help of an egg donor in Atlanta. Always looking for leaders in the IVF industry to refer friends and family, she ends up sending them to http://www.myeggbank.com more often than not.



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