You’re born with all the eggs you’ll ever have for your entire lifetime. For most women, that’s around two million, which seems like a lot. But there’s more to consider. Your ovaries only produce one egg every month, sometimes two. And if you do the math, you may still think that you have plenty of eggs, until you learn that your count drops to 25,000 when you reach age 37, and by the time you’re 51, you’re down to about 1,000 with a very slim chance of getting pregnant.
As you age, your fertility decreases and your chance of running into other reproductive challenges like endometriosis increases. But don’t lose heart — there’s hope!
At University Reproductive Associates, our team of experts specializes in fertility preservation to set you up for the best chance of conceiving whenever you’re ready. For many women, that means freezing your eggs. This is the process of harvesting your healthy eggs and using cryopreservation technology until you decide you’re ready for a baby. Here’s why a growing number of women make egg freezing a part of their family planning.
Studies show that American women are waiting until later in life to have their first baby, many of them bypassing their 20s. But those who wait may find it more difficult to conceive as the years pass. The biological clock is real and it’s ticking.
Not only does your number of eggs decline as you age, but their quality drops as well. Freezing your eggs allows you to capture a moment in time when your eggs are plentiful and healthy so you can use them when you’re ready.
Although women today have more freedom to choose the life and lifestyle they want, including education, careers, travel, and social relationships, the choice to put off childbearing may come at the cost of lower fertility rates.
This conundrum leads many women to experience stress and anxiety about their choices and second guess their priorities. But egg freezing alleviates the downside to waiting.
It also takes the pressure off finding the right partner. If you dream of sharing the childbearing experience and the joy of a growing family with someone else, you may settle for someone who’s not the best match for you because you feel pressure to and move forward with the next phase of life. Egg freezing allows you to take your time finding the right person and to form a family when you are ready.
If you have a health condition that threatens the viability of your eggs or your ability to reproduce, egg freezing can protect your eggs and give you the gift of having a child even if you can’t carry it yourself.
We mentioned endometriosis because this is one of the conditions many women face in their fertility journey. Although some women can conceive even with this condition, some can’t. But if you know you have it and that it might be a problem, you can choose to freeze your eggs.
Likewise, cancer and cancer treatments may interfere with the health of your eggs. Chemotherapy and radiation can harm them or make you sterile. But frozen healthy eggs allow you to have a child after you’ve recovered from other health conditions.
If you want children later in life or have a health condition that may hinder your chances or degrade your eggs, call us at any of our three locations in New Jersey to schedule a consultation with one of our specialists to find out if egg freezing might be right for you.
