Life feels more complicated than ever these days. What was once the assumed path of life’s milestones has certainly changed. There used to be a “traditional” course of jobs, marriage, and starting families. But, this path isn’t so clear anymore. Women are making more choices than ever now when it comes to how they want to accomplish things. One of the trends we’re seeing is an increase in women choosing to delay having children. This is happening for a variety of reasons. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’re a professional currently trying to balance your family and an increasingly demanding career.
More women are waiting until their late 30s and some even early 40s before making the decision to start having children. In the past, this would have more or less been considered unheard of due to social norms and biological limitations. Now, though, it’s close to being expected due to how busy and unexpected life can be. It makes perfect sense that women want to accomplish certain goals before dedicated their lives to parenthood, like earning advanced degrees and obtaining high paying jobs. It’s extremely difficult to manage these things while also starting a family. What we’re seeing, however, is lifestyle and societal changes coming up against the restrictions of biology. While the way we live has changed, our bodies really haven’t. This is why if you’re looking to have children a bit later in life, you may be interested in fertility services to help you accomplish that when conceiving naturally proves difficult.
Luckily, we live in a time where there are many fertility treatments available to cover nearly any scenario. When it comes to delaying pregnancy, though, egg freezing is often the go to solution that many women opt for. If you’re confident you want children of your own down the line when you feel like the time is right, egg freezing can help make that possible. Let’s look at some of the facts about egg freezing and if it’s right for you.
Egg freezing will require multiple visits to your doctor. First, tests will need to be performed in order to determine if you’re a good candidate for the procedure. Assuming the tests showing promising results, the process of obtaining the eggs for freezing will begin. Eggs will need to be brought to maturation for removal. You’ll be started on hormone therapy in order to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. The entire process will of course be monitored until your doctor determines you are ready to have the eggs removed. This simple outpatient procedure will be performed and the eggs will be prepared for freezing. The procedure doesn’t take long, but you will be placed under anesthesia for your comfort and safety. The entire process takes about ten days from the beginning of treatment until the extraction.
Egg freezing can be the best solution for a variety of scenarios. Clearly, the most obvious one is delaying pregnancy in order to experience it during a more manageable time. Voluntarily delaying childbearing gives a woman more time to establish herself and make the progress she needs to more comfortably become a parent. Wanting to have children on your terms at the right time is something everyone wants.
Another situation where egg freezing may be recommended is following the diagnosis of cancer. The treatments that can save your life, like chemotherapy and radiation, can also make you infertile. By freezing your eggs before beginning treatment, you have a chance to pursue parenthood once you are free of cancer and your treatments have stopped.
Egg freezing is safe. Frozen eggs and embryos remain safe in cryopreservation and are safe following thawing. Safety redundancies are put into place to make sure of this. The only slight complication that may come with the egg freezing process is hormone therapy side effects. There are no proven risks involving ovarian stimulation drugs as far as cancer development or other fears. Mention any concerns you may have to your doctor.
Women demand and need options when it comes to balancing every aspect of their lives. Life’s milestones shouldn’t need to be sacrificed in order to reach another. The option should be there to be stable and comfortable in a career or with the right partner before settling down to have children. If you’re wondering if egg freezing would be the right solution for your individual needs, you need to speak with a fertility specialist that has the expertise needed to evaluate and advise you. Book an appointment online with us today. The team at Global Fertility is here to provide you with the expert care you need so you can feel confident about starting your family.