I just froze my eggs. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering the process
Posted on
Last year, someone close to me shared that they were considering freezing their eggs and the news stuck in my brain.
This person has endometriosis, like myself, and was around the same age. In the weeks after I kept mulling it over. Was it something I’d consider doing? Could I do it?
It wasn’t my age (32) or single status that concerned me as much as the truth I had been avoiding for a few years: my endometriosis and PCOS weren’t getting better. In fact, they were very slowly but very steadily getting worse. What this meant for my fertility I didn’t know (reminder: they don’t even know exactly why endometriosis happens…) but it made me nervous.
So, in March 2024, across six weird and wonderful weeks, I froze my eggs. Now, six months later, here are five pieces of advice I’d love to impart to anyone considering this process, from someone who’s just been through it.
Freezing your eggs may take some time to get started, so plan accordingly
My GP was receptive to the idea of me freezing my eggs and said she’d happily refer me to an OBGYN surgeon who specialised in endometriosis, IVF and egg freezing and was part of a well-regarded local fertility clinic.
I had the medical green light, however, I didn’t take her up on the referral right away as I still needed some time to think over this expensive, physically and emotionally demanding decision.
I took two months to think seriously about whether I really wanted to do this and then after I formally requested the referral there was a four-month wait to see the doctor for my initial consultation. During that time, I also had to undergo an internal ultrasound and round of blood tests required by the clinic.
Once I saw the specialist it was a speedy seven days before I started my first round, however, the time from making the first appointment with my GP to my ‘eggies’ going into the freezer, it was easily seven months, so plan accordingly if this is something you’d like to explore.
Education and organisation are the keys to fighting overwhelm
Across those pre-egg freezing months, I binged copious amounts of podcasts on the topic and scoured the internet for articles from trusted sources.
Here are the episodes I valued the most:
- Everything I Learned About Egg Freezing, Tough Love with Linda Marigliano
- Everything you need to know about egg freezing, The Food Medic
- Egg Freezing, The High Low with EmRata
- Egg Freezing Economics, She’s on the Money with Victoria Devine.
Podcasts are also a handy way to get people in your life up to speed. My wonderful parents were immediately supportive but playing them The Food Medic’s episode referenced above – where GP Hazel who just froze her eggs interviews her own fertility specialist about the process – got them across the who, what, where and why of the process without me having to present a two-hour TEDTalk.
I also built a long list of questions to ask my specialist in our first appointment and took notes on my laptop throughout the consultation. This became my reference bible.
There are a lot of moving parts to egg freezing – the various costs you’ll incur, the cold-storage medications you collect from a specific pharmacy, your injection times, your ultrasound and blood test appointments, your surgery preparation…the list goes on.
While my clinic had a handy app (what a time to be alive!) to remind me of appointment and medication times, it helped to also create a spreadsheet of all these elements, to keep track of it all.
Make a soothing routine that you’ll actually enjoy
It can be more than two weeks from day one of injecting follicle stimulation hormones to the day of your egg retrieval surgery and most days you’ll be injecting twice per day, which is a lot – mentally, physically and emotionally. However, I found that by bedding down a morning and night routine, I was able to shelve some of the mental load and feel more in control of what is, essentially, a very uncontrollable time.
Setting alarms and calendar reminders is key to injecting at the same times each day, as was setting the ‘mood’ for each injection. I live alone and while everyone from my parents to my friends offered to help me inject, I knew that it was most sustainable for me to learn how to do it myself.
Each morning I’d wake up early, make myself a cup of tea and put on a playlist of calm, uplifting music. I’d bring my tea, needle, alcohol swab and a cold pack back to my bedroom and inject sitting cosily in bed. I found a cold pack helped with any swelling and giving myself time and space before I had to start my day cleared my head.
Each evening, I’d inject late to make sure I could attend work events or have dinner with friends beforehand. I’d bring all my bits and bobs to the couch, put on a jazzy playlist or watch some Netflix and get comfy. The key with both routines was: no rushing. This allowed me to take my time and not feel like the process was limiting my normal life.
I also worked from home as much as possible, as catching an illness like COVID can lead to the potential cancellation of your cycle.
If something goes wrong, it’s not your fault.
The idea of stimulating your follicles is to mature as many eggs as possible across a 10-day cycle – and the numbers game of it all can be a bit scary. Essentially, if your ovaries aren’t stimulated enough by a certain day in the process, they’ll stop the cycle because it won’t result in a successful egg retrieval surgery.
This is what happened to me – my first cycle of injections was unsuccessful due to my medications not stimulating enough follicles. Although delivered with warmth and understanding by the clinic’s team, it was challenging news to receive. This meant that the previous eight days of injections, blood tests and ultrasounds were all for naught and I had to immediately inject myself with a drug to induce a period and start again.
It was hard not to see my body as the enemy at this point, but with the support of my wonderful friends and family I got through it, and my second round – with a different stimulation drug – was successful. As one of the clinicians put it, the medications are a recipe – one that takes time to get right.
Yes, you can do it alone and you’ll be fine. In fact, you’ll smash it.
There’s a sense of zen-like calm at fertility clinics and that’s for a good reason – it’s where a lot of people find solace and answers after a difficult time. It’s also where things can go wrong and the worst news can be delivered.
However, I really do believe that freezing your eggs can be a process of joy, celebration and strength. As a single person in your early 30s, it can feel like you don’t qualify for many of this era’s celebrations – anniversaries, engagements, weddings – but making this decision can and should be celebrated like any other, especially once you’re on the other side.
I still can’t quite believe that I juggled that busy six weeks of work and social events with twice-daily injections and a regular schedule of blood tests and ultrasounds, but I did. I learned to inject myself, weathered hormonal storms, looked after my mental health – and you will too.
I even did a little happy dance with my doctor en route to the operating theatre. This can be a joyous time, and if you choose to go down this road, I hope it is for you too.
