thebump.com: Why I Chose to Freeze My Eggs
These women took their fertility into their own hands – each for a very different reason.
Written by Bethany Gumper, August 2015
By freezing eggs, a woman’s fertility potential is essentially extended from the time she freezes until the time she comes back to use her frozen eggs, if the need warrants. Why does this matter? Well, for women who face unexpected life changes such as the ending of a long-term relationship, the launch of a new business that needs undivided attention, or a cancer diagnosis , prior to egg freezing, there was really no alternative to the toll time and, in the case of cancer, radiation treatment, would take on a woman’s fertility. For former The Bachelor winner Whitney, former attorney turned entrepreneur Shana, and new mom and cancer survivor Mary, egg freezing was used for very different reasons but with the same purpose in mind: planning for their future and keeping their options open.
“I wanted to have an insurance policy.”
For Whitney, a fertility nurse herself, egg freezing was a means of insurance. “Over the past seven years, I’ve worked with so many different patients, including ones who had to use donor eggs…those women often said to me, ‘I wish I had known that I could freeze my own eggs.’” Even though she had a boyfriend at the time of freezing, she knew she wasn’t ready to have kids yet and was aware of the impact age could have on her fertility.
“I need to focus on my start-up business now.”
Shana was an attorney but had another passion – baking. At the age of 35 she took the courageous but risky step to quit her job and enroll in an MBA program to prepare her for starting her own small business. Knowing that her business would take years to grow, she was concerned about when she would be able to focus on having children. Luckily, a friend had just frozen her eggs and Shana felt encouraged to do the same thing. According to Shana: “… freezing my eggs has enabled me to stop worrying… motherhood is something I really want to enjoy, but at the right time.”
“I couldn’t let cancer take away my options.”
At the age of 34, Mary had just given birth to her son Liam when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Knowing she wanted more children and that chemotherapy can leave women infertile, Mary knew she had to take control of her future. When Mary came to Shady Grove Fertility 5 years ago, she and her husband decided to freeze embryos, given the current technology available at the time.
(Since this time, the advent of vitrification, a fast-freeze technology, egg freezing has become a very effective option.) Today, Mary is happy with her two beautiful sons, Gavin and Liam. Mary’s journey to motherhood has inspired her to do peer counseling with younger women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. She likes to remind them that cancer doesn’t have to signal the end to their childbearing years.
If you are interested in learning more about elective egg freezing, click to schedule an appointment with a Shady Grove Fertility physician. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer and are concerned about future fertility options, we encourage you to call right away. Prompt treatment allows us to work directly with your oncologist to give you the most options.
