Written by Shruti Malik, M.D., of Shady Grove Fertility’s Fair Oaks, VA, office
“Having a family is hugely important to me and I didn’t want to lose that opportunity. Because of egg freezing, I can now focus on my life in the present without having to worry about the future.”
A Career with a Sense of Purpose
I went into the field of reproductive medicine because it gave me a sense of purpose. I sympathize with the women and men dealing with infertility. They position themselves to become such amazing parents, and to be able to help them achieve this goal is a privilege greater than anything else I could do.
As we continue to make technological advancements in the field, I’ve found that my role has expanded beyond treating infertility. I’m now in a position to empower women through egg freezing. Egg freezing technology has been around for many years, but in 2009, we achieved a major scientific breakthrough with a freezing technique called vitrification. Success rates with vitrification are now on par with fresh (i.e. non-frozen) in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. In part due to this advancement, egg freezing is no longer deemed experimental and is making its way into the mainstream.
The Best Position to Have a Family
An advancement like egg freezing allows women to position themselves to be in the very best place to have a family—when they’re ready. While having a child naturally may be the optimal form of conception, should that plan not work egg freezing is a reliable option for women. It allows women to focus on their life without the pressure of finding the right partner and starting a family right now. They don’t have to worry about losing out on the opportunity to have children at a later date, which is very reassuring to women.
This empowerment is something I’ve not only seen from the physician standpoint but in my experience as a patient. Like so many women, I hadn’t found the right person to start my family with yet, and I wanted to take the weight off of my shoulders without letting go of that hope. Egg freezing has afforded me the opportunity to do just that. Now I know that I will be able to pursue my family when I’m ready and continue to live my life in the present day. Having gone through the process of egg freezing provides me with a unique perspective to understand what my patients are going through. We have insurance policies for everything else in our lives, so why not one for our future family?
The Reality of Ovarian Reserve Testing
I’ve also seen how important it is for women to be aware of their fertility options and consider ovarian reserve testing to determine her current fertility potential. When I decided to move forward with egg freezing, one of my friends also had her ovarian reserve tested. Even though she was in her early 30s, she discovered that she had low ovarian reserve. Having this knowledge gave her the power to do something about it in the present, even though she was not ready for children yet. She successfully froze her eggs and gave herself an opportunity to have a family; an option she may not have had if she had waited a few more years.
Egg freezing may not be the right choice for every woman, but knowing that the option is there is incredibly empowering. We I generally recommend that women consider freezing their eggs in their early to mid 30s, as women in this age group will still likely have great results with the overall process, and excellent pregnancy rates in the future if they move forward with using their frozen eggs. Even if a woman is in her late 20s or late 30s, it is still reasonable to consider ovarian reserve testing and discuss the results with a physician.
The entire egg freezing process only takes a few weeks but the result can afford years of relief. If you’re even remotely thinking about egg freezing, speak to a physician. It doesn’t commit you, but the information is powerful and can help you decide what’s best for you. I’m very glad I made the decision to move forward with egg freezing. If you’ve ever considered egg freezing or are just thinking about it now, I urge you to at least talk to your physician and take the first steps towards insuring your future.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Malik to discuss your options and egg freezing potential, please fill out this brief form, or call 1-877-411-9292. To learn more about egg freezing, join us for one of our upcoming Wine & Freeze egg freezing seminars.
