Egg freezing

There is a lot to consider as you contemplate electively freezing your eggs. Consider these unique perspectives:

1. “Imagine a world in which life isn’t dictated by a biological clock. If a 25-year-old banks her eggs and, at 35, is up for a huge promotion, she can go for it wholeheartedly without worrying about missing out on having a baby. She can also hold out for the man or woman of her dreams.” Bloomberg Businessweek, Later, Baby: Will Freezing Eggs Free Your Career?
2. “As a woman, it is hard. Hard to look life in the eyes and put yourself first. I think we tend to give, give, give. We want to make sure everyone is happy and things are flowing smoothly. Therefore, recognizing that life was passing me by and things were not exactly as I had planned was hard to admit! Somewhere in 2014 I got real with myself. I realized it was my time to do what I wanted, even if that meant going through non-traditional routes! Egg freezing gives me the opportunity to hold onto my own self interests. I am realistic that the journey will not be perfect, but I do believe it will be better than not trying at all.  And this is a better chance to be able to do things my way, as I continue to progress through the natural aging process.” – Radell Peischler, Shady Grove Fertility, Egg Freezing Patient
3. “The problem wasn’t just that I wanted to find a life partner—something I’d always envisioned—it was that I felt I needed to find him immediately. Because, of course, the clock was ticking! Thirty was far from old, but I was forever doing the mental math: Even if I meet the right guy today, a couple of years of dating, plus an engagement period and a little time being married means I’ll be in my mid-30s by the time I even start trying to conceive…  I worried that all this incessant worrying would cloud my judgment. I didn’t want to marry someone I wasn’t in love with just because my eggs were creeping toward their “past due” date.” – Ellen McCarthy, Washington Post Reporter

1. I think [egg freezing coverage] is a fantastic idea, it’s something we at Virgin want to steal…and offer to our women. It’s interesting, someone said to me that they got criticism for freezing; and I thought what on earth, it’s the woman’s choice. If they want to continue working, they can continue working; if a woman hasn’t found the man of her dreams at 35-38, freeze the eggs, it makes sense. The earlier you can freeze them, the better. My daughter just had two wonderful twins from eggs and they wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the eggs.” – Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson with Sheryl Sandberg  in an interview with Bloomberg Business
2. As women, we rarely look deeply into our menstrual cycle to understand the mechanics of reproduction. We assume pregnancy will be easy to achieve, but the reality is that our eggs have a period of peak fertility potential in our late teens to late 20s, before beginning a slow decline in our early- to mid-30s. The decline becomes more pronounced after 35, making our fertility potential almost non-existent by the time we reach 40. Egg freezing provides another option for those who wish to extend their fertility potential beyond the optimal biological window. – Shady Grove Fertility Blog

Learn more about freezing your eggs by attending one of our upcoming educational seminars. To schedule an appointment, please call
1-877-411-9292 or fill out this brief form.

Radell is a 34 year old entrepreneur living in the Washington, D.C., area. She happens to be single, and after a few years of contemplation, decided to freeze her eggs at Shady Grove Fertility. Following her decision to freeze and after completing her egg freezing cycle, she had the desire to spread awareness about egg freezing by sharing insight and advice for women who are considering this option. Over the next few months, Radell will be writing blogs describing this experience from her point of view.

What Happens After You Freeze? The Big Freeze Litmus Test.

Who saw Shady Grove Fertility’s name in bright lights (okay, and my name too?!) in the April issue of ELLE magazine?! Do you know why SGF is in ELLE Magazine this month? Because when the media wants to report on all things egg freezing, they turn to the leader in this industry for an insider’s point of view. If you have the mag, check out When Should I Tell Him I Froze My Eggs? on pages 295 to 296, or click here!

Why exactly did ELLE magazine want to talk about egg freezing and dating? Because it’s new and it’s complicated! So many judgments, both before and after the freeze. Everyone seems to have comments. Do you know whose comments are the most important? Your own. Maybe, coming in a close second, is anyone else in your immediate world, as well as someone you bring into your world to date and/or form a partnership with.

The big freeze and its role in the dating life is a very important topic to discuss. My comments in ELLE’s article mention that I use egg freezing as a dating litmus test, of sorts! Can we talk about this, please? The male response to your/our/my decision are important, hence litmus test. Here’s why.

Will Proceed or Will Not Proceed

After a man responds to my decision, I then place him in a box: will proceed or will not proceed. What box he moves to is completely dependent on him and his response to my decision to freeze.

Let’s assume he passes the litmus test and is placed in the “will proceed” box. If this is the case, his answers to my big freeze decision are something like this:

• If he is comfortable with my decision, he’s likely to be a grounded individual.
• If he respects my decision, he’s likely to be a confident man.
• If he finds the technology behind it interesting, then he most likely values science and our intellectual advancements as a human race.
• If he views the big freeze as an insurance policy, then yes, he gets it.

All of that speaks to what I value in a person, what I value in myself, and what I want in a partner. I want someone who understands the dynamics of the world we live in, while taking mature decisions and responsibility for the world and the future of it. And if the man I am dating gets these layers and has the ability to pause, reflect, and discuss with me the where, when, and the WHY, then I like him and he passes the big freeze litmus test.

However, I should mention and place emphasis on something that is just as important: Getting to the point where I would share my decision with someone, that is a whole other story! Not every date gets to hear this information. Why? Well, maybe that’s my next blog! Stay tuned…

Xo
Radell

To learn more about egg freezing, attend one of our upcoming live events, schedule an egg freezing appointment, or call 1-877-411-9292 to talk with one of our new patient liaisons. 

On April 2, 2015, The Washington Post, published an article about egg freezing from the perspective of one of its very own reporters, Ellen McCarthy. In the article, Freezing my eggs restored my sanity, Ellen openly discusses her decision to freeze her eggs—and why. Her reason for freezing being far from what is portrayed in many news articles and stories:

Apple’s and Facebook’s announcements that they will pay for employees to freeze their eggs have provoked a lot of hand-wringing about women and careers and having-not-having-it-all. But for me, 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.

Ellen describes the onset of panic when she realized time was slipping by and she didn’t have the life-partner she had always envisioned, and therefore the family she always dreamed of. Panic set in and took over, impacting many areas of her life—leaving her feeling out of control. Freezing her eggs restored her sanity, the ability to take life as it comes, and find the right life-partner. She encourages single women to do whatever it takes to find this sanity, for her, it just happened that it was egg freezing.

The problem wasn’t just that I wanted to find a life partner—something I’d always envisioned—it was that I felt I needed to find him immediately. Because, of course, the clock was ticking! Thirty was far from old, but I was forever doing the mental math: Even if I meet the right guy today, a couple of years of dating, plus an engagement period and a little time being married means I’ll be in my mid-30s by the time I even start trying to conceive.

Many of our patients express similar reasons for freezing, and the same feeling of panic that strikes. Read how she made the decision, how she reached out to family to pay for it, and what she recommends single women do if they are worried about the future.
Click here to read the full article.

If you are interested in learning more about Shady Grove Fertility’s unique Egg Freezing Program, join us for one of our upcoming informational egg freezing seminars. If you would like to schedule an appointment, fill out this brief form or call 1-877-411-9292.

We are very pleased to announce that we have recently reached a company milestone of more than 1,000 egg freezing cycles at Shady Grove Fertility. Just a few years ago, egg freezing was a rarely discussed topic and was infrequently recommended by physicians and fertility specialists, alike. Now, egg freezing is commonly discussed in the media and by women of reproductive age. From creation to its current mass-awareness, egg freezing has come a long way, and reaching 1,000 egg freezing cycles is just the beginning. At Shady Grove Fertility alone, the interest in egg freezing has increased 60 percent each year since 2010.

“This milestone is evidence that egg freezing is considered mainstream,” says Sarah Elizabeth Richards, author of Motherhood, Rescheduled: The New Frontier of Egg Freezing and the Women Who Tried It. “The technology is better, and more women are taking advantage of this technology to safeguard their fertility for the future when they’re ready to become mothers.”

A Medical Breakthrough for Women

Whether a woman chooses elective egg freezing to preserve her fertility or for medical reasons—such as a recent cancer diagnosis, endometriosis, or a family history of premature ovarian failure—egg freezing is proving to be a medical breakthrough.

“As physicians, we strive to provide patients with the medical treatment needed to preserve fertility,” says Robert J. Stillman, M.D., medical director emeritus of Shady Grove Fertility. “When egg freezing first became available, few were able to access this treatment, but as information and awareness has increased, so has the number of women interested in preserving their fertility,” adds Stillman.

Greater Experience Leads to Better Outcomes for Patients

As a leader in reproductive medicine, Shady Grove Fertility offers extensive experience in egg freezing for women looking to extend their fertility options for the future, should they need assisted reproductive technology to conceive.

“One of the things we find encouraging is the more we do, the better we become. We are in a constant pursuit to optimize the technique—not only from the technological perspective but also from an outcome perspective. With this vast experience, we can better guide and inform patients regarding their expectations of the process and outcome,” says Joseph Doyle, M.D., reproductive endocrinologist and egg freezing advocate.

“The more experience we gain, the better we can hone our program and educate women about the number of eggs they should freeze to ensure they have the best chance of having a baby using frozen eggs in the future,” adds Doyle.

A Brief History of Egg Freezing

Fertility centers initially offered egg freezing cycles specifically for women prior to cancer treatment, as an option to preserve fertility from the damage cancer treatment has on a woman’s fertility. However, with the advent of vitrification for oocyte cryopreservation, or egg freezing, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine lifted the experimental label claiming egg freezing an effective way for women to electively extend their fertility potential. Vitrification, which employs a fast-freeze technique, revolutionized fertility treatment in centers across the country and proved to be a more effective and reliable way to freeze eggs than the previous slow-freeze process that would often damage eggs.

“At Shady Grove Fertility, we believe strongly in practicing only evidence-based medicine. It’s the data, along with our collective experience and knowledge that informs our processes. We designed a unique Egg Freezing Program to specifically meet the needs of women who wish to pursue elective egg freezing and we are pleased to announce that it is a growing option among women,” says Dr. Doyle.

To learn more about egg freezing, attend one of our upcoming egg freezing educational events or fill out a brief form to  schedule an appointment or call 1-877-411-9292. 

The recent Washington Post article “How Fear Fuels the Business of Egg Freezing” effectively addresses some concerns related to the increasing popularity of egg freezing. While this article has many salient points, many would agree that sometimes fear can arise when a knowledge gap exists. Therefore, when it comes to egg freezing and thinking proactively about your reproductive future, we thought best to provide answers to common egg freezing questions in the most transparent and forthcoming way possible. What’s important to note, some of the concerns surfaced in the story can be assuaged when a woman chooses a fertility center that has demonstrated expertise and success in egg freezing. A center that has resources dedicated to meeting or exceeding quality standards can allay many women’s fears.

1. How does a center define egg freezing success?

   Egg freezing success is defined in two ways: whether there were enough eggs frozen for future use, and if a baby is taken home as a result of those frozen eggs. Two main factors that impact success rates:
   The age at which a woman freezes:
   As women, we rarely look deeply into our menstrual cycle to understand the mechanics of reproduction. We assume pregnancy will be easy to achieve, but the reality is that our eggs have a period of peak fertility potential in our late teens to late 20s, before beginning a slow decline in our early- to mid-30s. The decline becomes more pronounced after 35, making our fertility potential almost non-existent by the time we reach 40. True, some women achieve pregnancy using their own eggs after the age of 40, but it is more the exception than the rule. Shifting reproductive hormone levels result in slow chromosomal deterioration, which impacts the eggs’ ability to fertilize and result in a pregnancy and healthy baby.
   Where a woman chooses to freeze her eggs:
   A fertility center’s experience is vital to the success of egg freezing. Egg freezing using vitrification technology is very important, as is precision when thawing the eggs before insemination. At Shady Grove Fertility, we have performed over 1,000 egg thaws. As the largest fertility center in the country, our patients benefit from the extensive experience of our embryology lab and physicians.

2. How will I know if a center is being transparent with success rates?

   At Shady Grove Fertility, we take ethics and transparency very seriously and do not obscure reality from our potential patients. We are accountable to the truth and share success rate data on our website. While success rate data is limited, it’s not because of the science; it’s more because of timing. Since egg freezing with vitrification only came to the fore in 2012, some women are simply not ready to start a family by using their frozen eggs. That being said, our center has already celebrated 200 babies born, and counting, from frozen eggs.

3. Can anyone freeze their eggs if they want to?

   For some women, egg freezing might not be beneficial. From a purely clinical perspective, we recommend elective egg freezing for women ages 30 to 40; ideally in their mid-30s. If a woman freezes too young, she is less likely to use those eggs in the future. But you also don’t want to wait too long either due to the declining quality of the eggs. At Shady Grove Fertility, one of the ways we can tell if a woman is a candidate for freezing is the Ovarian Assessment Report (OAR Panel) provided by Reprosource: According to Dr. Eric Widra, “Any premenopausal woman above the age of 25 can now benefit from the important clinical information obtained from appropriately performed egg supply testing. This testing can give a woman insight into her fertility window, menopause onset, and a number of other common health conditions. It is important, however, to obtain egg supply testing from a source that is able to provide clinically accurate information and to review the results with a fertility specialist.”

4. Why are the costs so high if there are no guarantees that it will work?

   Currently, Shady Grove Fertility is one of only a few centers in the country that offer an egg freezing financial package. In addition to this, we work closely with a specialized financing company to help our patients afford treatment through financing. We continually seek ways to make access to care more convenient and affordable; this includes designing ways that make it more affordable for women who return to use their eggs.

5. What is the egg freezing process like at Shady Grove Fertility?

   Upon making an appointment at SGF, each patient first completes ovarian reserve testing. When paired with age and medical history, results provide valuable insight into current fertility potential and if egg freezing is a good option. This is discussed during her new patient consultation. If egg freezing is deemed a good option by the physician and patient, the physician will discuss how many eggs she should freeze to ensure she has the optimal chance at having a baby in the future using her frozen eggs. Immediately following her physician consultation, the patient meets with a Shady Grove Fertility Financial Counselor to discuss financial options available. It is after this appointment that the patient can decide whether to take action or not.

At Shady Grove Fertility, it is our goal to make sure women are aware that this option exists. Through science-based, data-driven, facts,our data, experience and collective knowledge has given us the confidence to create the Egg Freezing Program.
To learn more about egg freezing, register for one of our upcoming patient education events, call 1-877-411-9292, or fill out this form to schedule an appointment.

Radell is a 34 year old entrepreneur living in the Washington, D.C. area. She happens to be single, and after a few years of contemplation, decided to freeze her eggs at Shady Grove Fertility. Following her decision to freeze and completing her egg freezing cycle, she had the desire to spread awareness about egg freezing by sharing insight and advice for women who are considering this option on her personal blog, through the media, and through the SGF blog. This is Radell’s latest blog. 

Catching Up…

As you might recall, the process of finding my way to egg freezing took me quite some time. In fact, when it was all said and done, it took me about four years to make the decision to freeze after first hearing about it. Therefore, actually saying yes to the first step was a BIG DEAL! I had to dig deep and accept the part of me that felt wicked vulnerable.
Read Part 1: The First Step to Egg Freezing

Step #1: Egg Freezing Testing is Complete, Waiting for Results

The calendar turned over to May and a few days had gone by since my ovarian reserve testing appointment (Schedule an Appointment). I remember my nurse calling with my results. Palms might have been a little sweaty and my chest a little tight. And yes, it was my sister on the other line!  Why wasn’t I a little bit calmer? Oh yes, testing drives me nuts. Egg freezing testing is no different. When something is out of my control and it’s in the hands of science and doctors, I wig out a bit! Breathe Radell, breathe!

Step #2: Time to Meet the Man that Makes Everything Happen

So my sis (who was also my nurse) says to me, ever so calmly in her angelic ways, “The results indicated we have a green light to keep moving forward. The next best thing is to visit with the Baby Godfather*.”

Step number two began and I met the man that made this all happen. In I roll at 7:00 a.m. (I swear these people never sleep 🙂 ). The very first question he asked me was, “Are you really ready to do this?” Wow. I am not sure I even sat down in the chair yet! And geez, I truly am not a morning person, do I need to answer this?! I just laughed! And slightly stumbled and mumbled, “I think so!” This must have been good enough, because he proceeded. He drew some basic pictures of ovaries and the process. Then he reviewed my overall egg retrieval score, which rates my chance of retrieving 5 or more eggs. On the scale of reduced, fair, good, or excellent, he rated my score as “Good.” Immediately I thought, “Just good; why am I not excellent?”

I’m Happy With “Good”

Okay, calm down. I need to be happy that it is good. So I smiled and thought about where I was in my life, my age, and how grateful I was that I was fertile. I grounded myself in all of my realities and forced myself to be aware that good really was good. And then, just then, in all of those little thoughts and in a moment of sanity, a little light came on. I had just found out the answer I was longing to hear. This girl had found out that she was fertile! As I mentioned in my last blog, even at the young age of 34, I knew it was possible for me to find out I might not have any or enough eggs left and therefore not be fertile. So finding out this information was a relief nonetheless.

After we discussed a little bit more of the process, I might have been in a little bit of shock. I couldn’t believe I was starting to accept this whole egg freezing concept. Baby Godfather shared that the freezing and thawing technology had drastically improved in recent years. Then, I thought, if the medical field had taken steps to really advance the technology, I could really be in the right place at the right time. Am I staring down the cold path of my future and thinking about taking the next step? Baby Godfather seemed so confident in the process and self-assured that this was going to be super easy. Could we hold hands along the way, please? Okay, maybe not the whole time, but for a little bit might be nice.  I wanted some of that confidence to wear off on me!

Then the analytical brain kicked in and I asked for logistics. How long can we keep the frozen cuties and how long will the process take? He said I could come back to use my frozen eggs until I was a little older than 50 years old. I also learned that the entire egg freezing procedure would take approximately 8 to 12 days. (Click to learn more about the egg freezing process.)

I Came, I Saw, I Conquered

It was about that point that I knew the meeting was over. That was all I could process for the day! I felt like I came, I saw, and I conquered. I found out my egg freezing answer and my little ovaries passed the test. Now I had the information I needed to make my decision. The decision on whether or not to really pull the trigger, pay for this bad boy, and allow technology to help me in this stage of my life. Ugh, I just couldn’t think about it all at that moment.

Off I went, almost skipping, out of the office. I was back in the saddle and happy, knowing that everything rested in my hands. It brought me peace of mind, being back in control. Over the next few months I would work on making my final decision on the financial, emotional, and mental commitment to egg freezing. To freeze or not to freeze…that was the question!

*Baby Godfather – this is a fake name for my physician, Dr. Arthur Sagoskin, a leading expert in the fertility world. This is solely Radell’s nickname for her doctor. Radell shared that it was Baby Godfather’s confidence, leading expertise, and of course, medical action and leadership in helping women and couples create babies, that caused her to give him the nickname Baby Godfather. She says he’s always watching out for us, like a Godfather.  

Learn more about Radell’s journey by joining the SGF Egg Freezing Email list. To learn more about egg freezing testing, call our dedicated new patient team at 877-411-9292 or click to schedule an appointment. 

Learn more at an upcoming egg freezing Seminar or Online Webinar.