Do you know the questions to ask before you freeze your eggs? U.S. News & World Report turned to SGF’s own Dr. Joseph Doyle to address the top 5 questions you should ask (and answer) before you freeze your eggs.

More and more women are hearing about egg freezing as a way to preserve their ability to build their families at a later date. Celebrities and starlets have openly talked about egg freezing, and giant companies like Facebook and Google offer egg freezing coverage to female employees. Statistics show that Americans are delaying marriage and family building into their 30s; however, the fact remains that the quality and quantity of eggs declines as a woman ages.

Taking all of this into account, U.S. News & World Report reached out to SGF’s own Dr. Joseph Doyle (Rockville, MD) to seek the answers to the critical questions women need to ask about egg freezing. Here are the top 5 questions.

Why am I doing this?

Just because your company is offering coverage, your friends are doing it, or your favorite celebrity is espousing the “liberating” aspect of freezing her eggs doesn’t mean it’s necessarily right for you. Dr. Doyle tells U.S. News & World Report that the decline in egg quality doesn’t occur “on a daily or even monthly basis,” so while women should be proactive in learning about their options and even get their fertility tested, in most cases, there is no reason to feel pressure to do it immediately.

When should I freeze my eggs?

Dr. Doyle likes to say that there’s a “sweet spot” in a women’s 30s that’s the best time to undergo egg freezing treatment. “Freeze your eggs too early and risk never needing them; freeze your eggs too late and risk needing to undergo more timely, costly, and potentially painful injection and retrieval cycles in order to acquire the same number of viable eggs–that’s the tradeoff,” says U.S News & World Report.

Where should I freeze my eggs?

Like everything else in life, all fertility centers are not created equally so taking the time to research centers in your area is as important as learning about the actual procedure. “To make an informed decision, ask clinics how many egg freezing cycles they’ve performed, how many times they’ve actually thawed eggs for women who are ready to use them, and, if the statistics are available, their success rates of pregnancy from frozen eggs,” explains Dr. Doyle.

How many eggs should I freeze?

Studies show that the more eggs you are able to freeze the more likely one will result in a successful pregnancy. At Shady Grove Fertility, we recommend women 37 and younger freeze approximately 15 to 20 eggs and for women over 37, 25 to 30.

How will I pay for it?

Realizing that many companies and insurance plans within the mid-Atlantic region do not provide coverage for the majority of the egg freezing process, Shady Grove Fertility has made it a priority to make egg freezing an accessible option that provides reassurance.

To do this, SGF created programs to ensure women freeze enough eggs and have options when it comes time to use their frozen eggs in the future.

Most recently, we created and launched the Shared Risk 100% Refund for Returning Egg Freezing Patients, a guarantee program exclusive to Shady Grove Fertility patients. This guarantees that women who return to use their frozen eggs either take home a baby, or get a full refund of the Shared Risk fees.

Making the decision to freeze your eggs comes with a lot of considerations. It’s important for women to accumulate as much information to make the best decision for themselves. The first step is the easiest, measure your current fertility to see if egg freezing is a good option for you.

 To learn more about freezing your eggs, call 1-877-411-9292 to speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons, or register for one of our upcoming patient educational events.

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