Freezing your eggs may be one of the best things you’ve ever done to preserve your future fertility. That said, the decision to move forward with elective freeze eggs is a big one.

Please Note: This post is dedicated to women who elect to freeze their eggs for personal, rather than medical reasons. Visit our page on Medical Fertility Preservation if your decision to freeze eggs is related to a medical diagnosis or treatment that threatens your future fertility chances.

In addition to the physical aspects of the process – appointments with a fertility specialist, taking medications to stimulate your egg follicles and the retrieval process – you’re also making a financial commitment to store your eggs at a safe facility until you’re ready to use them.

For those reasons, timing is just as important as other factors to determine whether egg freezing is right for you.

Elective Egg Freezing is a Smart Solution For Women Who….

With that in mind, we’re going to start with optimal age and work from there.

Egg freezing is a smart solution for you if…

You are between the ages of 31 and 34 years old

It’s no mystery that a woman’s age and her chances of conceiving are closely entangled. Once a woman passes age 35, egg quality diminishes, making it more difficult to conceive and carry a healthy, full-term baby. That said, retrieving and freezing eggs much earlier than age 32 could be a waste of money if you wind up getting pregnant before you need to use frozen eggs.

On the other hand, waiting until after you are 35 is not wise because the viability of your eggs is already rapidly diminishing. In fact, most fertility clinics won’t even offer elective egg freezing for women who are 38 years or older.

Your fertility clinic of choice will speak with you in detail about your lifestyle and future fertility plans to help you choose the right window that optimizes egg quality while also respecting your investment.

Are not opposed to using IVF to get pregnant

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is the only method we can use to fertilize the egg and transfer the resulting embryo(s) into your uterus when you’re ready to get pregnant. This is a very different experience than conceiving a baby at home, without assisted reproductive technology.

If you are not quite sure about IVF, do your homework, speak to women and couples who have been through it, and share your reservations with your fertility clinic so you make a choice that you feel 100% sure about.

Driven to pursue an academic and/or career path

If you know that your academic or career path requires zero interruptions (aka, “pregnancy/motherhood” until you are 38 years or older, egg freezing is a smart idea. As much as headlines erroneously tease that “40 is the new 30” for mothers, that is simply not the case. A woman’s chances of getting pregnant without the assistance of fertility medications or more invasive treatments is much lower by the age of 40.

The truth is that the more women who prolong motherhood, the more “advanced age” is becoming one of the leading causes of female infertility.

Still hoping to find your lifemate

If you’re approaching your mid-30s and there isn’t an ideal lifemate in sight, egg freezing is a way to calm that “ticking clock” and any fears you have about not being able to have a baby. Knowing your eggs are frozen until you are ready to start a family with Mr. or Mrs. Right relieves the pressure and allows you to enjoy life to its fullest at this stage of the game.

Comfortable with your expendable income

While there are affordable options for egg freezing, the process and years of storage will still cost you thousands of dollars. While some insurance companies and forward-thinking companies are coming around to the idea of compensating some or all a woman’s egg freezing costs, most women pay out of pocket for this service.

As we mentioned at the beginning, the decision to retrieve and freeze your eggs is a big one, but it can be the best decision you ever made in your life. Contact us here at Fertility Solutions to learn more about the pros and cons and to determine if egg freezing is right for you.