Egg freezing

[LuvOrlando]

So I've been open about being BRCA positive and having ovaries & tubes removed a few days ago and as I sit waiting for the results and recovering I keep thinking how lucky I am that I made it to the point that I don't need any of these parts, I have now adult children and am soooo very done and ok with getting this stuff gone. However, other women who didn't have their families yet will face much harder choices so my thoughts are now on them and the only thing I can think of as a plan is having eggs harvested and frozen until a later time. Trouble is, I know absolutely zero about this process. Sure, I can read up on it but I'll be reading sales pitches and we all know that doesn't always translate into real life experiences and it's too important to leave that in the hands of marketers. With fertility assistance such a big thing now I thought I'd ask here if anyone has had, or knows anyone who has had real life experiences with freezing and storing eggs, process/cost/outcome.

 

[WhatDinosaur]

I think that frozen eggs are used in IVF mostly (or only). There’s not a lot of clarity about how available IVF will be in the future in the United States, at least.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I think that frozen eggs are used in IVF mostly (or only). There’s not a lot of clarity about how available IVF will be in the future in the United States, at least.

I never heard this, is it because of the the kooky Dr's who manipulate the eggs to make their own babies? My family is BRCA HBOC so that means the only way to save lives of carriers and allow pregnancy is to harvest the eggs and freeze, then IVF when a suitable partner is discovered so that life can continue as normally as possible.

I would go to the ends of the earth to protect my child's ability to have children of her own if she were to test positive like I did and the best the Dr's cold tell her was to get everything out... to think testing positive meant no chance of a family or risking not being there to raise them is a horrifying thought....

 

[QueenIsabella]

Dh has a cousin who is going through this--not for himself, ha ha, but his daughter. She had a rare disease when she was young (4 or 5) that required chemo and a bone marrow transplant. She's healthy now, thank God, but they check her every year, and every year, she has fewer eggs. So, they were wrestling with "do we harvest eggs in her teens, so she can one day bear a child?" If it were my child, I would probably do the harvesting.

 

[WhatDinosaur]

I never heard this, is it because of the the kooky Dr's who manipulate the eggs to make their own babies? My family is BRCA HBOC so that means the only way to save lives of carriers and allow pregnancy is to harvest the eggs and freeze, then IVF when a suitable partner is discovered so that life can continue as normally as possible.

I would go to the ends of the earth to protect my child's ability to have children of her own if she were to test positive like I did and the best the Dr's cold tell her was to get everything out... to think testing positive meant no chance of a family or risking not being there to raise them is a horrifying thought....

Without getting too into political subjects, once embryos have been created in the lab, it’s not clear what legislation will exist around them. Often times more embryos are created than are implanted, and so the question exists on what to do with the leftover ones. They’re technically post-fertilization.

 

[nancipants]

I am part of a Facebook group for IVF moms of kids born in late 2019. I did not go through egg retrieval personally but most of them did (some used donor eggs, I used a donor embryo). It is a very rough process that involves a lot of hormones and a painful procedure. However, definitely worth it if you want to have children one day. In addition to retrieving the eggs, you will then have to do IVF in the future, which is another extremely stressful process. You will have to fertilize multiple eggs to get good embryos to transplant. Again, definitely worth it. But it's not easy--or cheap!

Edited: And like previous people noted, the future of IVF is up in the air, which adds even more stress to people who suffer infertility.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I'm going to skip the fray happening elsewhere and assume that Massachusetts will protect the practice of egg harvesting in general but especially those trying to avoid ovarian cancer because that's what learning BRCA is about (well ovarian and others).

There is no desire to even entertain pregnancy now and definitely no potential partner, so there would be no fertilization so in this I guess it's all very different from IVF where a person is actually seeking a pregnancy.

Can a woman just freeze eggs on her own without going beyond making a choice just to protect her own desire to have children when the time is right? The questions about fertilization are questions for another time. Like, it's entirely possible she may never meet a suitable partner, she might not want to risk passing on the gene so honestly it could just end up that the eggs do absolutely nothing other than allow her to maintain a choice into the future just like everyone else.

 

[nicolita3]

I'm going to skip the fray happening elsewhere and assume that Massachusetts will protect the practice of egg harvesting in general but especially those trying to avoid ovarian cancer because that's what learning BRCA is about (well ovarian and others).

There is no desire to even entertain pregnancy now and definitely no potential partner, so there would be no fertilization so in this I guess it's all very different from IVF where a person is actually seeking a pregnancy.

Can a woman just freeze eggs on her own without going beyond making a choice just to protect her own desire to have children when the time is right? The questions about fertilization are questions for another time. Like, it's entirely possible she may never meet a suitable partner, she might not want to risk passing on the gene so honestly it could just end up that the eggs do absolutely nothing other than allow her to maintain a choice into the future just like everyone else.

Yes, there are women who freeze their eggs before finding a partner or who want to focus on their careers first. I used to go to a doctors office that had little signs regarding this in the office. Some just want the option available to them and may or may not use them.

 

[mom2rtk]

Not sure where the tech is right now, but historically it has been recommended that eggs be fertilized before freezing for the best shot at success. So it gets complicated trying to decide whether to go forward with donor sperm.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have had breast cancer and had surgery that goes along with that, as well as ovary/tube removal at a later date based on the recommendation of my onoclogist due to the potential relationship between breast and ovarian cancers. I am not BRAC positive (though still continue to be tested as new gene sequences are discovered), but I was having a hyst so they wanted them out while in there. (Not fun due to surgical menopause which hits hard and fast, as opposed to natural menopause.)

I also underwent IVF years prior to all that. It wasn’t as awful a process for us as it is for some, as we were fortunate to become pregnant on the first try, and were blessed with twins, however it was a long process getting to that point (several years) and did involve lots of testing, appointments, procedures, and surgery, and was an emotional rollercoaster at the same time.

We had embryos still frozen that we were not going to use, and struggled with what to do with them. The options they gave us were to destroy, donate to research, or donate anonymously. I didn’t like any of those options, and it kept me awake at night. Thankfully I was able to research on my own and found an option for private donation, and children were born from those embryos to a family of our choosing. It’s easy to think of “embyos” as clumps of cells, but we should keep in mind that these are humans that haven’t been born yet. Both my own children and these children were born from these frozen embryos, so it really hit home for me. Btw, it might help to talk to someone spiritually or professionally if there are questions or concerns. I spoke to someone myself and it helped with my decision-making.

When I was undergoing these procedures, embryos could be frozen, and sperm could be frozen, but the process for egg freezing still hadn’t been perfected yet, as I recall. It looks like it has been now, though. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it as a young person if I were either undergoing chemotherapy or ovary removal, to preserve the option for fertilization down the road. I don’t see a downside, really (and just to clarify, these are eggs and not fertilized embryos). Storage fees will be minimal, and worth it. A woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have, whereas a man makes sperm continuously. An egg is released each month and if not fertilized, it disappears.

I also agree with you, Luvs, that in MA, I doubt there is any danger of laws changing surrounding frozen embryos. And other positives with MA is that places like Boston IVF do a really good job (literally all of our embryos survived the thaw, even after many years, and had a high rate of successful pregnancies), and IVF is covered under insurance when medically necessary. Good luck with this decision for you and others contemplating such an endeavor.

 

[pindecisive]

I also agree with you, Luvs, that in MA, I doubt there is any danger of laws changing surrounding frozen embryos.

Not sure if everyone has seen the most recent update to Alabama law surrounding IVF embryos, but the laws are changing in some states.

We just went through IVF (2 rounds) to freeze embryos for a later date and I highly recommend the process to anyone who has the money to do so. I've regularly gotten my AMH levels tested, and when they took a dip we decided to hedge our bets. I found the first round of IVF retrieval a breeze, with the second round directly after a bit rougher.

Frozen embryos have a higher likelihood of survival than unfertilized eggs so at least at my clinic, they recommended freezing embryos, but the process was so easy for me that I wish I'd done it earlier in life.

My immunities testing (which is part of the process) was very helpful because they found I'd lapsed on several immunities I thought I had. The genetic testing was also very interesting as was my rhesus (Rh) factor. I likely would have had several miscarriages with my husband if I had not been made aware of it.

It is a very rough process that involves a lot of hormones and a painful procedure.

To be candid, my procedures just weren't that bad. I've had worse menstrual cramps and found the beginning ultrasounds harder than my surgeries. My second procedure was rougher on me, but still, like 3/10.

My absolute best advice is to take a work vacation for much of the length of the process (especially since you're spending so much money on each round) which is about 2.5 weeks end to end. Stay as stress free as possible and make sure to eat light and walk regularly.

The medication ended up being about twice what they quoted us, and Carrot coverage will only be about half what we paid for one round. So if you can only do it once, definitely set yourself up for success.