How do I know if egg freezing is for me?

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Egg freezing is connected my mind. At 36, I’m astatine an property erstwhile galore of my friends person had babies, and the fewer who haven’t are weighing up their options. If they program connected having children astatine immoderate constituent successful the future, should they beryllium freezing their eggs now?

It is an incredibly idiosyncratic decision, and it’s not ever an casual one. While ovum freezing is often sold arsenic a fertility security policy—“eggsurance”—we’re inactive not wholly definite however palmy the process is apt to beryllium for immoderate idiosyncratic person, oregon however occurrence rates alteration by age.

We bash cognize that it is expensive—we’re talking perchance tens of thousands of dollars for hormonal treatments, ovum postulation procedures, and years of cryopreservation. And we cognize that it’s not without risks.

Around 16% of women who frost their eggs extremity up regretting their decision. So researchers are present moving connected tools to assistance radical considering ovum freezing marque the close determination for them.

People take to frost their eggs for each sorts of reasons. But the women who bash truthful for societal reasons thin to autumn into 1 of 2 groups, says Zeynep Gurtin, a sociologist of women’s wellness astatine University College London.

The archetypal radical is made up of women successful their 20s oregon aboriginal 30s. These women cognize they privation to person children someday—perhaps successful astir 5 years’ time—but they’re not acceptable yet. They mightiness beryllium studying oregon grooming for their career, oregon traveling, says Gurtin. “They’re [egg freezing] arsenic a proactive measure,” she says.

The 2nd radical includes women successful their precocious 30s oregon 40s, who privation to person children but aren’t successful a presumption to bash so, usually due to the fact that they aren’t successful a narration with idiosyncratic who feels ready. “Many of those women accidental they had hoped to beryllium mothers by now,” says Gurtin. They cognize their fertility model is closing, and they privation to springiness themselves the champion accidental of gestation successful the adjacent future, she says.

When it comes to making a determination connected ovum freezing, Gurtin thinks it’s captious that radical beryllium afloat informed connected 4 issues: the occurrence rates, the risks, the broadside effects, and the costs.

Finding this accusation is not ever straightforward, not slightest due to the fact that we don’t afloat cognize what the occurrence rates are. While galore women person had their eggs frozen, lone a fraction person returned to usage them, says Gurtin. That’s partially due to the fact that the exertion is inactive comparatively new—egg freezing lone mislaid its “experimental” statement astir 10 years ago. People who froze their eggs 5 years agone mightiness inactive not beryllium acceptable for pregnancy, oregon mightiness person conceived without them.

The information we bash person suggests that around 21% of the women who frost their eggs extremity up utilizing those eggs to go mothers. That fig includes women who person their eggs frozen for aesculapian reasons—perhaps arsenic a precaution earlier undergoing chemotherapy that could harm steadfast eggs, for example. When you look astatine women who take to person their eggs frozen for societal alternatively than aesculapian reasons, the fig shrinks to 17%.

The mean banked ovum has around a 5.9% accidental of becoming a baby, according to a study. So wherefore bash immoderate women—including 6% of the volunteers successful that study—think the accidental of having a babe aft freezing eggs is up to 100%?

Part of the occupation is misinformation. Egg freezing is simply a large business, and fertility clinics person been recovered to fudge the numbers somewhat erstwhile it comes to describing the occurrence rates of their procedures. In a survey published past year, Gurtin and her workfellow Emily Tiemann recovered that clinic websites thin to beryllium persuasive, alternatively than informative, successful their language.

Fertility clinics thin to stress the benefits of ovum freezing portion minimizing the risks and the costs, the brace found. The clinics are, aft all, trying to marque a sale. These findings echo those of akin studies performed successful the US and Australia.

So I was pleased to perceive that researchers are moving connected a much impartial approach. Michelle Peate astatine the University of Melbourne and her colleagues person developed a determination assistance for radical who are considering ovum freezing.

The online tool works by archetypal providing the facts connected ovum freezing—how it works, what we cognize astir outcomes and risks, however it mightiness marque radical consciousness some during the process and afterwards. The hormone treatments that assistance radical merchandise a glut of eggs for postulation tin origin temper swings, bloating, and headaches, for example. And they travel with a tiny hazard of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a perchance superior complication that tin origin trouble breathing and, rarely, humor clots successful the lungs and legs.

It past asks users to allocate a level of value to imaginable benefits and drawbacks. One benefit, for example, is feeling prepared for the future. And 1 drawback is that ovum freezing does not warrant a baby. 

These answers volition beryllium utilized to make an wide people that tin beryllium placed on a scale—is the idiosyncratic leaning toward ovum freezing oregon against it? Users volition besides beryllium offered guidance connected wherever to find much information, specified arsenic from a GP, fertility specialist, oregon counselor.

The instrumentality is presently being trialed successful a radical of probe volunteers and is not yet wide available. But I’m hoping it represents a determination toward much transparency and openness astir the existent costs and benefits of ovum freezing. Yes, it is simply a singular exertion that tin assistance radical go parents. But it mightiness not beryllium the champion enactment for everyone.

Read much from Tech Review’s archive

Anna Louie Sussman had her eggs frozen successful Italy and Spain due to the fact that services successful New York were excessively expensive. Luckily, determination are specialized couriers acceptable to instrumentality frozen enactment cells connected planetary journeys, she wrote.

Michele Harrison was 41 erstwhile she froze 21 of her eggs. By the clip she wanted to usage them, 2 years later, lone 1 was viable. Although she did person a baby, her lawsuit demonstrates that ovum freezing is nary warrant of parenthood, wrote Bonnie Rochman.

What happens if idiosyncratic dies with eggs successful storage? Frozen eggs and sperm tin inactive beryllium utilized to make caller life, but it’s tricky to enactment retired who tin marque the decision, arsenic I wrote successful a erstwhile variation of The Checkup.

Meanwhile, the contention is connected to make lab-made eggs and sperm. These cells, which mightiness beryllium made from a person’s humor oregon tegument cells, could perchance lick a batch of fertility problems—should they ever beryllium safe, arsenic I wrote successful a feature for past year’s magazine contented connected gender.

Researchers are besides moving connected ways to mature eggs from transgender men successful the lab, which could let them to store and usage their eggs without having to intermission gender-affirming aesculapian attraction oregon spell done different perchance distressing procedures, arsenic I wrote past year.

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