Many women, both with or without medical necessity, are choosing to preserve their egg quality and quantity until the timing is right and they are ready to have a baby. The increasingly popular Egg Freezing Program at Shady Grove Fertility offers an accessible and streamlined approach to care with fertility testing followed by a physician consultation, various financial options, and promising pregnancy rates for women who want to extend their fertility. With this relatively new option comes many questions from women who are considering freezing their eggs.

Dr. Shruti Malik Discusses Personal Decision to Freeze Eggs within the Glow App

As a content contributor to the free fertility app, Glow, we are able to connect our patients with fertility resources and real-time engagement opportunities with physicians. Last Wednesday, one of Shady Grove Fertility’s reproductive endocrinologists, Dr. Shruti Malik, highlighted egg freezing during a “The Doctor is in” forum featured on the app. Her outspokenness about her own personal decision to freeze eggs ignited a lengthy conversation with over 50 comments and 2,000 views.
Read a few of the most popular questions and answers below:

  • Q: “Hi Dr. Malik –I just read in another answer you did egg freezing yourself? Why did you do it?” 
    • A: “I was single and in my 30s, and I realized I wasn’t going to be in a place to start a family for a while, but I didn’t want to lose the option. A couple of friends and I decided to get tested. One of my good friends was the same age and had unexpectedly low ovarian reserve numbers despite being young and healthy. She was able to freeze eggs and now has a chance to have kids later, which probably wouldn’t have been an option if she waited a few years. I’m sure some view egg freezing as a last resort for women who are over 40 and not married or ready to have kids, but it’s not that at all. Young women are choosing to freeze because it empowers them to pursue children when they’re ready. It was a huge weight off of my shoulders.” –Dr. Malik
  • Q: “What does your ovarian reserve need to be to do the procedure?”
    • A: “There’s no cutoff but it’s best to have a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) under 10, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) over 1, and antral follicle count over 10.” –Dr. Malik
  • Q: “Hi Dr. Malik, how long do the frozen eggs remain viable?” 
    • A:  “Indefinitely! Whenever you’re ready to use them, they’ll be there.” –Dr. Malik
  • Q: “How long does it take? Will I have to take time off from work? ” 
    • A: “Usually 10 to 12 days from the actual cycle. Patients will only need to take the day of egg retrieval off since they get IV sedation.” –Dr. Malik
  • Q: “Can you talk a bit about who the right type of person is for egg freezing? What are some characteristics that your egg freezing patients share?” 
    • A: “Definitely! The ideal age is 30 to 38. But if you’re thinking about it, consider making an appointment to get fertility testing and meet with a doctor to discuss options. 90 percent of insurances cover those first steps!” –Dr. Malik
  • Q: “How much is it? What’s the procedure like? Does it hurt? Will I still ovulate and therefore get regular periods?” 
    • A: “Cost varies, it is $7,500 for one cycle at Shady Grove Fertility but we also offer packages to guarantee up to 20 or 30 eggs, or four or five cycles (whichever comes first) to increase the chance of pregnancy later. Everyone is different but most women say it’s not painful at all, just a little crampy after the egg retrieval procedure. You get a shot to ovulate before the retrieval and then get a period 1 to 2 weeks later.” –Dr. Malik

 

The Decision to Freeze Eggs Based on Results and Information  

At Shady Grove Fertility, we know that many questions abound regarding egg freezing; our goal is to educate women about their fertility options through educational events, forums, articles, and by sharing our science-based, data-driven procedures and results. Our Egg Freezing Program gives women the flexibility to find the right partner, to have a baby when the timing is right, and to feel confident that they are making a good decision for themselves.

Read the remaining Q&A session with Dr. Malik here. To learn how to freeze eggs or for more information about financial options,  call 1-877-411-9292 to speak with one of our new patient liaisons, fill out this form to schedule an appointment, or register for one of our upcoming patient educational events.

To stay up to date with our upcoming forums you can download the Glow app here, or on iTunes.

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