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.
Here are 5 reasons why I felt it was finally time to jump into the world of egg freezing:
#1 – I decided to put myself first in 2014.
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!
#2 – I stopped questioning my moments of clarity.
Not sure if it was the perfect storm or if it just happened overnight, but something happened when I turned 34. As I saw my birthday approaching this year, I felt like I had just turned 30. What happened to the last four years of my life? Are the 30s flying by more quickly than my 20s?
In those moments of self-reflection, it dawned on me that four more years might go by just as quickly. If that was to happen and I didn’t freeze my eggs when I had the chance, I would be devastated. In that moment, when I turned the big 3-4, I knew it was time. It was an internal awareness that I could no longer deny. It was a feeling and a sensation that I started trusting. Hard to explain to some people, but in the end, I couldn’t question it anymore. Sometimes when you know, you just know.
#3 – I wanted to buy time for myself.
There are some things in life we have no control over, sigh. Time happens to be one of them! But egg freezing, although at times seems controversial, might just be one of the powerful options that can freeze the frame.
What other opportunities provide us with the ability to press pause on the aging process? There is a saying in life, that the only thing we can count on is change. I might add to that and say aging! Egg freezing seems to be able to do something that we are unable to do: stop time! At the end of the day, I want more time. That’s why I said yes.
#4 – I wanted to have the option to do things my way.
When I think about having children and a family, I still want things my way. I want to be able to carry children and have children that are my own. All of this might change in the future, but this is what I want. I understand in life there is no guarantee and the future is unpredictable, but that doesn’t mean we stop going after what we want.
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.
#5 – Important, loving people were in my life, willing to support my decision.
Although this is the last item on my list, it might be one of the most important items. Embracing the supportive people in your life is one of the best things you can do for yourself. I had two people – I should call them champions – which propelled me to freeze my eggs. A close family member and a highly respected friend both supported my decision, in different ways.
My family member really supported me emotionally through the process. This person guided me through and held my hand. I think without them I would not have been able to complete the process. It is a little bit of a scary, frozen tundra. Receiving that support meant more than I knew at the time.
The other person in my life was a close, business savvy friend. This is someone I respect when it comes to financial decisions, as well as life decisions. Therefore when I shared that I was truly contemplating egg freezing, surprisingly he was incredibly supportive. He felt my reasons were well-formed and the financial commitment was reasonable. Hearing this helped release my anxiety around the process. His opinion solidified my confidence around my decision to move forward.
I could go on and on about more reasons why, but that’s it in a nutshell! Overall, I lined up what it was I wanted out of my life. I started getting realistic with myself in terms of my age and relationship status. Next, I found two great friends to talk with about the process. Then I gave myself the green light to go on the egg freezing journey!
To find out if egg freezing is right for you, schedule an egg freezing appointment to speak with a physician by contacting our New Patient Center at 1-877-971-7755 or complete the online form.
