If you think you have been seeing a lot of content about egg freezing lately it’s because you have. A brief look at recent headlines includes the following:

Before delving into what the latest batch of egg freezing headlines mean for you, let’s take a step back and provide an egg freezing refresher:

  • Who & Why: Egg freezing is often an elective procedure, undertaken by women who have decided to defer pregnancy or want to safeguard their fertility options when faced with medical treatments that can result in damage to their eggs.

 

  • What and How:The process of egg freezing involves superovulation – the process of stimulating a woman’s ovaries with hormone injections to produce multiple mature follicles. An egg is then retrieved and cryoprotectants are used to protect it during rapid cooling to subzero temperatures, halting all biological function and placing the egg into a glass-like state.

Does that sound like something that should be treated as casually as grabbing a cup of coffee or getting your nails done with your friends? We suspect your answer is no. While we think it’s wonderful that more women are becoming aware of egg freezing and considering all of their options, we think it’s important that people treat it like the complicated medical procedure it is. For that reason, the idea of egg freezing being treated like a spa package is troubling.

There is nothing wrong with providing a comfortable, welcoming setting for patients, but placing the focus on glamour should never take away from the importance of experienced physicians providing outstanding patient care to women who have decided to freeze their eggs.

Egg Freezing Is YOUR Choice

An unfortunate side effect of the sudden hyperawareness surrounding egg freezing is the pressure some women feel to freeze their eggs. Whether this is the result of peer pressure or internal pressure about their “biological clock ticking away”, it’s common for women to feel like they should be freezing their eggs, especially once they reach their 30s.

The decision about whether to freeze your eggs is yours and yours alone. There is no right or wrong answer; the conclusion you reach is valid and not for others to dissect.

If you are interested in exploring egg freezing, schedule an appointmentwith one of our proven specialists. We can answer all of your questions about egg freezing so you can make an informed decision about your future.