Every egg freezing story is unique and this is Kara’s journey.
Kara is a 36 year Fairfax, VA native living in Arlington, VA. Long-term relationships, good advice, family support, and a plan brought her to Shady Grove Fertility to freeze her eggs. Kara sat down with SGF following her first two cycles to share more about her egg freezing story in hopes of inspiring other women to do the same. Here’s what Kara had to share:
How did you learn about egg freezing?
Kara: “My 20s were for fun and career and I knew my 30s would be for getting married and having kids. I always knew I wanted to be a mom someday. Two years ago, when I was 34, my dad’s cousin, who is an OB/GYN, recommended I test my AMH. With his advice I tested my AMH (which was good) and went to my OB/GYN at Capital Women’s Care and asked, ‘I’m 34, what do I need to know about egg freezing?’ My OB/GYN advised, if I wasn’t trying to have a baby by 36 I should freeze my eggs. That became my plan. When long-term relationships didn’t work out, I looked at egg freezing at a very serious level. At 36, I tested my AMH again and it was good, so I decided to freeze my eggs.”
Was paying for egg freezing something that you were concerned with?
Kara: “No—the money my parents set aside for my wedding is being used to pay for my egg freezing cycles and I enrolled in the Assure 20 financial program. It was difficult at first, but when it came to having to choose between a baby and marriage, if I were to only be able to have one of the two in this life, I would always choose baby. This helped me make peace with using money from the wedding fund.”
How was the actual egg freezing cycle?
Kara: “During my first round I was definitely more nervous; I had some bloating, but nothing serious. But the second round, you don’t even notice you’re doing it—it’s easy. I had no cramping, no emotional side effects, and I was able to do the medications on my own. There’s something about being alone in your apartment with a syringe that makes you feel like a real woman.”
What was the hardest part of the process?
“The hardest part once you get past the first few days of shots, for me, it was not being able to work out for 4 weeks. I’m really active and enjoy high levels of exercise, so during this time that caused a little more stress—there was no physical outlet. I found that challenging but if you’re not super active it won’t impact you as much.”
What for you has been the biggest benefit of freezing?
“I hope to never have to use these eggs, but knowing they are there provides me with peace of mind—it’s kind of like a savings account. I’m one of those proactive people who wants to make sure things work out in this life.”
What has dating been like?
I dated two different guys while going through my last two cycles. My last boyfriend was really supportive of it and provided emotional support throughout the medication portion. But it hasn’t caused anyone to pause. It’s also a good dating tactic—if they are good with it, we can get dessert, if not, get the check.”
What is your biggest advice?
“Do it. You’ll have a harder time accepting not being a mom than accepting freezing your eggs. You want to extend the option of being a future mom instead of limiting it.”
