Atlanta, GA – When Rachel Scott suddenly became a widow at the age of 36, she didn’t even know what egg freezing was, she admits. She and her husband didn’t face any fertility issues and already were parents to a very active toddler.
But then the unthinkable happened and Rachel was left all alone to care for their child. “I have a young son and never imagined him being an only child. There is nothing wrong with having only one, but I wanted him to have someone to grow up with, especially since it’s now just the two of us,” she recalled.
“I had heard of egg freezing but didn’t know anything about it or anyone who had gone through the process. Late one night, I started my research. If I’m doing this, I want the best doctor and the best fertility practice. That’s when I found an article about Shady Grove Fertility. Their closest office was 2+ hours away in Atlanta. I did a phone consult, a handful of tests, and an in-person consult.”
From then on, Rachel said she was committed. However, she didn’t want anyone to know at the time. “What if something goes wrong? What if they can only retrieve a few mature eggs? What if I have to go through this process several more times?” she pondered. According to Rachel, the “what ifs” were endless.
“As I was awaiting my retrieval, I was greeted by the kindest and most supportive SGF staff. They didn’t rush me, and they let me ask questions like, ‘are you sure I’ll wake up after the procedure?’ After all, I’m now an only parent and have to be careful about the decisions I make for the sake of my 3-year-old son,” Rachel remembered.
“I woke up after the procedure, which only took about 30 minutes. I had the best nap when I got home, and I went back to work the next day. The nurse called the following morning to tell me the retrieval was a success and I now had 14 frozen eggs. I was on top of the world!”
Rachel continued, “I went from telling nobody to telling everybody that I froze my eggs. I want every woman to know about this incredible option.”
Paying for the procedure, Rachel admits, was the hardest part. “Egg freezing is an investment in the future and probably the best one I’ve ever made. I no longer have to worry about my biological clock ticking as I rebuild my life. No matter how old I am if or when I decide to have another child, my eggs will always be 36. As my eggs wait to be thawed one day, medicine continues to advance, and the statistics continue to improve. How lucky are women to have this gift?! As I prepare for one more cycle, the only regret I have is that I didn’t freeze my eggs sooner.”
SGF, a premier fertility and IVF center with 36 locations, is home to more than 85,000 babies born and among the top five egg freezing programs in the country. SGF is one of only a few fertility centers in the U.S. with published pregnancy outcomes for women who return to use their frozen eggs. In SGF patients less than 34 years of age at the time of freeze, who froze the recommended number of eggs, 70-80 percent took home a baby, and 50 percent took home two children.*
SGF is also one of the only fertility practices in the country to offer financial programs for elective egg freezing. For women without insurance, SGF offers package pricing, financing with low monthly payments, and a 100% refund guarantee program for women returning to use their frozen eggs.
If you would like to learn more about SGF’s egg freezing program or to schedule an appointment, please call the SGF New Patient Center at 1-888-761-1967 or complete this brief online form.
About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)
SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and counting. With 36 locations throughout FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, we offer patients individualized care, accept most insurance plans, and make treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including treatment guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
*Doyle JO, Richter KS, Lim J, Stillman RJ, Graham JR, Tucker MJ. Successful elective and medically indicated oocyte vitrification and warming for autologous in vitro fertilization, with predicted birth probabilities for fertility preservation according to number of cryopreserved oocytes and age at retrieval. Fertility and Sterility. 2016; 105(2):459-66.
**Pseudonym used per patient’s request.
