Egg freezing

Shady Grove Fertility’s Own Gilbert Mottla, M.D. Recommends Counseling Men and Women about Elective Fertility Preservation before Deployment

For active duty women in the military the challenges are just as strenuous as their male counterparts. However, women can often face additional hurdles when it comes to their reproductive health that perhaps their male counterparts do not. US News recently examined the protocols in place for women soldiers who become pregnant in theater (a war zone), the methods of birth control that are and are not readily available, and the opportunities for men and women to preserve their fertility prior to deployment as a precautionary measure in case of injury during deployment.

Serving during a Woman’s Fertility Prime

While getting pregnant while in a combat zone is “forbidden and socially taboo,” according to one female soldier interviewed for the article, many women also risk missing their most fertile window while pursuing their military careers. US News reports that, “​a large majority of servicewomen are in their reproductive primes.​ Of the ​2.2 million active duty members and ready reserve personnel in 2013, 16 percent were women and about 40 percent were under age 26.” Shady Grove Fertility’s Gilbert L. Mottla, M.D., said, “Women can age out of their most fertile years while serving, and the increasing number in combat roles risk injuries that could compromise their ability to reproduce. In a perfect world, we would counsel both men and women to consider elective fertility preservation before deployment.”

While military health care benefits cover contraception and birth control medications like the pill and IUDs, many active duty soldiers complain of trouble obtaining the necessary supply of birth control for their time overseas, and education about IUD is limited. One retired colonel, a psychiatrist who specializes in women’s health issues said, “Contraception may be a handful of condoms at the front desk.”

The Pentagon Enacts Program to Cover Elective Fertility Preservation

In response to the concerns about preserving family building capabilities, the Pentagon recently enacted a pilot program providing funding for egg and sperm freezing for active duty personnel with the initial goal of measuring whether such a program would affect whether a member of the military would remain in service longer. In a statement the Department of Defense said, “the Department is also committed to continuing to look at how we can broaden reduced cost Advanced Reproductive Technologies to the active force beyond current care at some Military Treatment Facilities.”

Progress is being made every day to help veterans and active duty military personnel receive access to family building tools. Education and awareness are the essential building blocks to support our military and Shady Grove Fertility is a proud advocate.

Fill out this brief form to schedule an egg freezing appointment. To learn more about the Egg Freezing Program at Shady Grove Fertility fill call 1.877.411.9292 to speak with a New Patient Center Liaison or attend one of the free upcoming educational events about egg freezing.

How Technology Has Evolved for Freezing Eggs

Eight years ago former Miss World from India, Diana Hayden, made the decision to freeze her eggs. At the time, egg freezing was primarily utilized by women in their 20s and 30s who were about to begin powerful cancer treatment that would likely affect their potential for reproduction using their own eggs. That procedure, known as oncofertility preservation, is still used today helping cancer survivors realize their dreams of motherhood. However, back in 2008, for many parts of the world, the technology involved slow-freezing the eggs, which often caused a crystallization effect in the egg, ultimately damaging it making it unusable for future use. To counter this damage effect, vitrification, a flash-freeze method, moved to the forefront. While available in the U.S. since 2009, it wasn’t until 2012 when the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) lifted the “experimental” label and declared it a viable option for elective fertility preservation.

Fortunately for Hayden, in India, the more reliable vitrification has been available for a decade.

Freezing Eggs for Time and Marriage

After being crowned Miss World in 1997, Hayden stayed in the spotlight becoming a successful actress and TV personality. Thus it was notable when she declared publicly that she would use egg freezing to extend her future fertility and wait for the right person to begin a family with. After the birth of her daughter, Hayden told the Times of India, “I froze my eggs for two reasons: I was busy with my career at that time and, more important, I was very clear that I was going to wait to fall in love and marry before having a baby.” She describes first reading about egg freezing in 2005 and ultimately freezing 16 eggs three years later, at the age of 32.

Eight Years after Freezing, Endometriosis and a Miracle

In 2013, at age 40, Hayden married and was subsequently diagnosed with endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial tissue (tissue that lines the inside of the uterus) grows outside the uterus, and makes normal egg production difficult regardless of age. At age 40 it was necessary for Hayden and her husband to use one of her frozen eggs.

Diana Hayden’s successful pregnancy emphasizes the importance of being proactive. In India, Hayden is being hailed as a potential “poster woman” for egg freezing, but it’s important to caution American women that the data is still relatively limited, given we haven’t been using vitrification quite as long. In December Shady Grove Fertility’s medical director, Eric A. Widra, M.D., who is also the chair of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology’s (SART) practice committee, told Parents.com, “Believe me, I think it’s a game-changing technology, and I’m super-enthusiastic about it, particularly for women who know they want children and want an insurance policy for the future. But to say that egg thawing is a perfectly well-established technology… it’s a little hard to say that. I think we need to be honest and realistic with people about exactly how much we know.”

At Shady Grove Fertility we encourage women to research the procedure and schedule a consultation with one of our physicians to discuss their personal situation, potential success rates, and the benefits of freezing eggs.

To learn more about our egg freezing program call 1-877-411-9292 or click here to schedule an appointment. Read more about Diana Hayden. 

For years Hollywood celebrities like Halle Berry and Gwen Stefani have appeared to defy the fact that once a woman becomes a certain age, her fertility will rapidly decline, making carrying a baby without reproductive assistance virtually impossible. Recently, with the advancement of egg freezing technology, more women who freeze, including celebrities, are talking about their decision to preserve their fertility and undergo egg freezing treatment.

Women Who Freeze: Whitney Cummings and Ellen McCarthy

The most recent is the comedian Whitney Cummings. The outgoing creator of “Two Broke Girls” began tweeting about her egg freezing procedure last year, complete with pictures of her stomach after hormone injections. Like many women, the daily shots can be unpleasant but are a necessary part of the approximately 2-week process. Cummings’ reason for choosing to undergo egg freezing treatment is similar to many women’s. She told Vanity Fair, “I feel like I was dating people just because I was on a deadline.”

Overcoming this feeling of being on a deadline to find someone to couple with and have a baby is a big factor for many professional women in their 30s. Ellen McCarthy is a Style reporter for The Washington Post and author of the recent book, “The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter’s Notebook.” She wrote in a March opinion piece that “the decision to put my fertility on ice had nothing to do with professional ambition or putting off motherhood. It was a quest to preserve my sanity.” McCarthy, who served as the Post’s prestigious wedding columnist, describes the anxiety attacks in the middle of the night, scared she would never find the right person to settle down with and have a family of her own. Much like Cummings’ deadline, McCarthy describes an anxiety-inducing clock ticking that kept her up at night.

Women Who Freeze Describe Finding Peace of Mind

In December 2015, Parents.com talked to a variety of experts including Michele Purcell, R.N., the director of Shady Grove Fertility’s egg freezing program, Eric A. Widra, M.D., and Elizabeth Fino, M.D., an endocrinologist at NYU’s Langone Fertility Center. Regarding the peace of mind women gain, Dr. Fino said, “We’ve done self-reported studies, and results show that women who freeze their eggs do feel tremendous relief from societal pressures and have peace of mind.” Dr. Eric Widra adds, “Believe me, I think it’s a game-changing technology, and I’m super-enthusiastic about it, particularly for women who know they want children and want an insurance policy for the future.”

At Shady Grove Fertility, we recognize that once a woman has made the decision to freeze her eggs, questions with suitors just may result in unexpected answers, especially for the woman who isn’t sure how her date may react. In response we created Egg Freezing and Dating, advice for women wondering the best way to mention egg freezing to their dates. Here readers will find answers to questions including, “How do you bring up your decision to freeze?” and “Do you find that the people you have dated/the person you are currently dating is open to your decision to freeze?”

While there is much to learn from women who share their experiences, it’s essential for women who are considering the process to do their own research. Critical to success is finding a center like Shady Grove Fertility that has years of experience with egg freezing and hundreds of cycles and successful pregnancies under its belt. Part of self-educating includes the OAR (Ovarian Assessment Report), which we believe provides the best estimate about a woman’s current egg supply. Ninety percent of the time, women with insurance have coverage for this test. Without insurance, the full cost is $325.

The future is bright for women who are able to take control of their fertility and choose the right time for them to start a family. Click to learn more about Shady Grove Fertility’s egg freezing program or fill out this brief form or call 1-877-411-9292 to schedule a consultation.

Freezing Eggs for Future Pregnancy

For many women in their late-20s to mid-30s, starting a family might be on their minds as something to consider down the road but not immediately. Oocyte cryopreservation, commonly known as egg freezing, is the process of retrieving unfertilized eggs and flash freezing them so they are preserved in peak condition for a woman to return and fertilize when she is ready to begin a family. Parents.com sought advice from Shady Grove Fertility’s Medical Director Eric A. Widra, M.D., and Egg Freezing Program Director, Michele Purcell, R.N., for women who have heard a bit about the egg freezing process and are looking for more details about freezing eggs.

Tip #1: Do your research.
The Parents.com article points out that it’s relatively easy to find a fertility center in most areas, but with egg freezing being such a relatively newly available treatment, it’s essential to dig a little deeper. Purcell says, “It’s not just about finding a center, it’s about finding a center that does egg freezing, thaws the eggs, and has data of its success rates. Technically, anyone can say that they can freeze eggs, but the question is: Are you freezing them correctly?” The previous egg freezing methods were unreliable because water would infiltrate the egg, making it unusable for future re-implantation. Purcell advises readers to research to be sure the center is using the most up to date flash-freezing technology correctly. At Shady Grove Fertility, we encourage women to ask specific questions about egg thaws and success rates. For example, women should ask, “How many eggs thaws have you done? What were the success rates with those thawed eggs? How many thawed eggs survived? What is the fertilization rate of those thawed eggs? What are your pregnancy rates per egg thaw?”

Tip #2: Testing can guide your decision.
In the fall of 2014 egg freezing financing made headlines when Apple and Facebook announced they would cover the cost of their female employees’ egg freezing procedures. While at Shady Grove Fertility the blood, hormone, and ovarian reserve test costs as well as the physician consultation may be covered by insurance, the cost without insurance is just $325. The other financial commitments of egg freezing include medication, the retrieval procedure, freezing costs, and storage fees. Through testing and the consultation, potential patients are able to gauge whether egg freezing is right for them before committing to the cost of freezing.

Tip #3: The technology is still very new.
It may seem as if we’ve been hearing about egg freezing forever now, but, in reality, the experimental label on cryopreservation was lifted in 2012, less than 4 years ago. Therefore, there is not a plethora of data to measure whether the process results in successful pregnancies; however, there is recent data that shows successful pregnancy rates for women who have thawed and used their frozen eggs. In addition to his role as Shady Grove Fertility’s Medical Director, Dr. Widra is also Chair of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology’s (SART) Practice Committee. He says, “Believe me, I think it’s a game-changing technology, and I’m super-enthusiastic about it, particularly for women who know they want children and want a backup plan for the future. But to say that egg thawing is a perfectly well-established technology… it’s a little hard to say that. I think we need to be honest and realistic with people about exactly how much we know.”

Tip #4: Don’t wait to freeze eggs.
At Shady Grove Fertility we believe women who are 37 and younger should freeze approximately 15 to 20 good quality (mature) eggs to provide an appropriate level of assurance that one cycle will result in a future pregnancy and baby. For women 37 and older, we believe 30 is the right amount of eggs. As a woman ages, the quantity and quality of her eggs diminish, with a rapid decrease beginning at around 35. Whether it’s recommended a patient bank 20 or 30 eggs, the process may well involve multiple retrieval cycles, costing more each time. To address the cost issue, Shady Grove Fertility created the innovative Assure Fertility Financial Program where, for a flat fee if a woman is able to harvest enough eggs in her first cycle, Shady Grove Fertility will refund a portion of the fee. Women closer to 40 and over may not have the quality or quantity of eggs to make the procedure work as the insurance policy it’s meant to.

Tip #5: Freeze eggs for good peace of mind.
Last spring, the Washington Post’s wedding reporter Ellen McCarthy wrote about the journey of freezing eggs in her book The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter’s Notebook. After earning the job as the Post’s prestigious wedding correspondent, McCarthy found herself single. Positive she wanted a family but without a partner at the time she saved for a year and froze her eggs. She writes that the process liberated her. She was able to excel at her career and her social and romantic life without the pressure of wondering constantly if her time to have a family would slip away. Fertility specialists share this view that egg freezing is empowering women and helping them feel relief from societal pressures.

Read the full article on Parents.com. Click here to learn more about egg freezing. To schedule an appointment, call 1-877-411-9292 or fill out this brief form. 

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.

Last week, NPR’s Eliza Barclay, who regularly provides lengthy coverage of the rise in popularity of egg freezing, sought to answer the question asked about the increasing rate of women freezing eggs, “will they ever use them?”

With millions of thirty-something women in the workforce Eric A. Widra, M.D., Shady Grove Fertility’s Medical Director, told NPR, “This is clearly a time where the technological ability to do this is converging with the demographics. There are more and more women who find themselves in a situation where they may potentially benefit from having their eggs frozen.” Barclay dives into the success rates of egg freezing, costs, and emotional benefits to find answers.

The Cost of Freezing Eggs

At the monthly egg freezing seminars hosted by Shady Grove Fertility, we have learned that cost is a concern of women who are interested in freezing their eggs. On average, women ages 37 and younger with normal ovarian reserve will produce about 13 quality eggs per cycle, so most women will need to undergo at least two cycles to garner the recommended 15 to 20 mature eggs. Realizing the financial concerns, we have crafted exclusive financial programs that make egg freezing accessible to more women. The first step in making the decision to freeze is to know medically if it is a good option for you. This is determined through ovarian reserve testing and a physician consultation, which is just $325, with 90 percent of patients with insurance having coverage. In addition to increased access to testing, Shady Grove Fertility created the first guarantee program for egg freezing, Assure Fertility.

Egg Freezing Offers Women the Opportunity to Find the Right Partner

In her research, Barclay found that more women are freezing because they haven’t found the right partner yet. According to medical anthropologist Marcia Inhron at Yale University, “The vast majority [of women] say, ‘It’s given me peace of mind, I feel a sense of relief, it’s taken the pressure off of me to rush into a relationship with someone who isn’t’ right.’” Inhorn also found that the majority of the women are professional and the major reason they are freezing is because they haven’t found the right person to embark on partnership and parenthood.

Pregnancy Rates from Egg Freezing at Shady Grove Fertility are Promising

Because women started electively freezing in 2012 there hasn’t been a lot of time to know the medical answers. At Shady Grove Fertility, we have found that it takes about 2.5 years for women to come back to use their frozen eggs, we have also found that pregnancy rates are very promising.

Is egg freezing is really necessary?

It’s a personal choice. Some women find comfort in the peace of mind knowing that they did everything possible to extend their fertility potential; it is not a decision to be taken lightly.

Listen to the NPR article More Women Are Freezing Their Eggs, But Will They Ever Use Them? or if you are interested in learning more about egg freezing, please call 1-877-411-9292 or fill out this brief form to schedule an appointment.