It has been widely accepted now that modern women consider the option of freezing their eggs until they are ready to bear kids. Besides their knowledge that it could be done, they know successful in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), 5 million successful births tallied as of today, can occur. But what makes this guaranteed?
THE TIMING
The most fertile age of women is in their 20s in which they have the best opportunity to get impregnated. Somehow, this is the same age as when a woman is just about to graduate from university or is maybe running after a huge career opportunity.
While this may be the most advisable age for women to freeze their eggs since this age holds the most numerous great quality eggs where pregnancy risks are at its minimum, the whole process may not be imposing any need to it. At the age of 20, you would not be figuring out just yet that you need it. And added to that is the fact that normal IVF and gender selection IVF costs are quite high, due to it being quite a large scientifical huge process.
The need (and the budget) will only come to you when you reach the age of 30 when it dawns on you that you have just but a few eggs left to work with. It’s still quite feasible, and by this time, women are already mature enough to decide on what they want for life.
Another reason though that you may need to freeze your egg would be underlying medical conditions that could damage the eggs like undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy. So, freezing the eggs might be for future reproductive measures when everything goes well after such procedures. Nonetheless, what you should worry about is the age. A woman already has all the eggs that she can grow mature at the time of birth, unlike men that they need to reproduce sperm over time. The ability to produce them healthily may be challenged as the age of 35 is reached.
YOUR CURRENT HEALTH STATUS WILL BE CHECKED
Consider that it is a whole process to do this egg freezing. First, choose a clinic that has had the experience of doing so. Second; understand that you may be observed for the first 2-3 months. What they will observe is your eating habits, how you take care of your body physically, and if you’re fit to do this psychologically. You will have to be tested numerous times of your physical condition concerning hypertension, diabetes, sexually transmitted disease, and anemia.
Therefore, you may be needing to abstain from too much sugar, salt, junk foods, coffee, alcohol, and unhealthy binge eating for a time. You will be checked of tattoos, any previous life-threatening hospital admissions, former surgical operations, historical background of diseases and lastly, involvement with harmful drugs. Third; you will be coming in a lot in the gyne to have vaginal examinations and diagnostic ultrasounds. If all of these fail, maybe you have to rethink if it’s still worthy of going for it or not.
AGGRESSIVE APPROACH
Once your blood work comes back in clean and no medical interventions are needed to be undertaken, you will get the all-clear from your doctor to begin IVF sex selection treatment if that is the option road you choose to go down. Your eggs will be extracted from your ovary after taking in follicle-stimulating hormone to help eggs mature in a quite faster rate than average. That way, they can be assured of more than one of a mature egg cell to work. This is done while under anesthesia, so, no need to worry as the ultrasound will guide it on the way through the vaginal wall and into the ovary.
Doctors usually have two eggs fertilised naturally in a petri dish by putting sperm to break through the egg’s membrane. Another way is injecting one single sperm directly into the egg’s nucleus, allowing it to sit and unite over time. To increase the success rate and while the process of reproduction is crucial, two fertilised eggs are introduced to the uterus around 3-6 days after fertilisation.
Some clinics avoid multiple pregnancies because of the danger it puts on the mothers and babies. Considering all of these efforts you have to commit to and the costs to make it happen for a chance in life, you may figure out, is it worth it or not?
