Egg freezing has become a game-changer for people as they become more intentional about when they have children.
For women like Kat, it has offered her choice and comfort.
Although egg freezing is no silver bullet, it has become a safeguard for many on the journey to giving birth.
“I’ve always wanted to have kids, I’ve always wanted to be a mum,” Kat tells Women’s Agenda.
“It’s just given me the option in the future.”
Every person’s fertility and broader health picture is different so it’s essential to meet with a trusted specialist for guidance on whether egg freezing is right for you.
Kat, who discovered some serious complications with her fertility, is glad she saw someone early.
“Even if you just go for the consult, you don’t have to go through with it,” she says.
“Ask questions. They will never get sick of you asking questions.”
Gynaecological surgeon Associate Professor Catarina Ang has answered many, many questions on egg freezing and fertility.
The Genea fertility specialist has been helping people navigate complex infertility issues for almost two decades.
She sat down with Women’s Agenda to tackle some of the common questions people have about egg freezing.
How does egg freezing work?
The egg freezing process is similar to the course taken for IVF only it stops at the point eggs are collected.
With a trusted clinic, it is a very safe procedure.
Eggs are collected using a trans vaginal ultrasound with a small needle on the end of the probe that enters the vagina, goes into the ovary and drains the follicles.
Once eggs are collected, they can stay in the freezer indefinitely but there are regulations around storage.
In Australia, these rules vary by state and territory.
Generally, patients can store eggs for around 10 to 15 years.
When a person is ready to use their eggs, there are a number of ways to create an embryo.
Frozen eggs can be inseminated with an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which differs from traditional IVF where the sperm is put into a dish with an egg for fertilisation.
With ICSI, the sperm is injected directly into the egg to create an embryo.
“It’s really, really important to know that there’s attrition at every step because not every single egg is going to fertilise and then they’re not all going to grow out to be wonderful embryos,” says A/Prof Ang.
“You are going to lose some along the way.”
Genea has developed an AI-driven program that gives patients a personalised insights into the likelihood of having a live birth based on the number of eggs they have.
Is it right for you?
The chance of a successful pregnancy with frozen eggs depends on a number of factors.
Among these are a person’s fertility health, their medical history, age and lifestyle.
If a person has undergone radiation or chemotherapy, these can lead to additional challenges.
It’s also the quality of eggs that matters – not just the quantity.
Fertility specialists like A/Prof Ang discuss all of this with patients before tests and early investigations are done.
Some patients even choose to freeze an embryo rather than their eggs but A/Prof Ang says it’s really important to consider the risks that may come with this.
“Unless you are absolutely, absolutely certain that this is your forever person – and considering divorce rates – I do think you’re better off freezing your own gametes that you have full control of.
“I just recently spoke to a patient who unfortunately did the embryo freeze and then they broke up, so if she wants to preserve her eggs now, she’s going to have to go through another cycle.”
When is the best time to freeze your eggs?
The ideal time to freeze eggs is when a woman is in her 20s and 30s but this may vary from person to person.
A/Prof Ang says figuring out the right time to freeze eggs can be ‘tricky’.
“It’s a bit tricky because logically the younger that you freeze them, the better quality they will be,” she says.
“But naturally, if you freeze them too young you’ve probably spent all this time, energy and money on something you didn’t need to.
“You won’t actually need to freeze your eggs at such a young age unless you’ve got an illness like gynaecological cancer.
“So when you’re doing it for the purposes of your own preservation, there’s this balance between when you should need to use them and realistically, your fertility around about 30 is going to be half of what it was at 20.”
Egg freezing has surged over the past decade as more people search for choice and autonomy in how they start and grow families.
But it’s a decision that shouldn’t be left too late.
However, women after 35 may have options they can discuss with their fertility clinic.
“It is important to remember that it’s normal to feel conflicted about this,” says A/Prof Ang.
“So you may feel relief after freezing your eggs that you’ve done it.
“But you can also still feel uncertain or ungrateful – it just doesn’t eliminate that sort of biological clock or those existential questions about being a woman.
“So sometimes that sense of wanting to feel less powerless doesn’t necessarily go away.”
Does freezing your eggs guarantee a baby?
The short answer is no.
While fertility science has led to miraculous breakthroughs and outcomes for people keen to have children, there is a misconception that egg freezing is some kind of insurance policy.
A/Prof Ang says this can create a false sense of security.
“It’s not a silver bullet,” she says.
“It does increase your reproductive autonomy but it’s not a guarantee of having a baby. It gives you more control, just not complete control.
“Rather than saying it’s an insurance policy, you might say it’s a risk reduction strategy instead.”
A/Prof Ang says it can well be worth the cost for women to freeze their eggs early instead of leaving it too late, especially if they know they want to have children at some point.
To help patients make the decision, she says it’s worth looking at it this way.
“Rather than trying to predict the future, maybe you’re better off asking ‘if I don’t do this, what will I regret?’,” says A/Prof Ang.
A/Prof Ang encourages people to speak with a fertility specialist if egg freezing is on their mind.
“It’s not like you have to make a decision then and there with the information that you’ve been given,” she says.
“Most of the time you can usually reflect upon it and revisit it six months later or even a year later.”