Egg freezing is only ONE piece of the puzzle

Yesterday on the TODAY show, an NBC correspondent named Kristen Dahlgren opened up to the world about her fertility journey. 

Kristen, I applaud you. Thank you for being an empowered woman who understands the importance to empower other women through fertility awareness and education. 

Kristen was thirty-nine years old when she decided to freeze her eggs. Socially, thirty-nine is the new twenty-nine, but our bodies don't care about that. Our biological clock doesn't realize we are waiting for Mr. Right, climbing the corporate ladder, or pursuing our education. Our biological clock only knows one speed; the younger a women is, the better quality and quantity her eggs will be. 

Question- Kristen froze SEVENTEEN eggs at thirty-nine years of age. Do you think this is a lot of eggs for a thirty-nine-year-old woman to freeze?

Answer- NO

Don't get me wrong, seventeen eggs is a fabulous number to freeze at thirty-nine years old, BUT her physician did not manage her expectations properly. Instead, her physician praised her seventeen eggs and gave her hope that having 2-3 children in the future from seventeen eggs frozen at thirty-nine year old was realistic. Unfortunately, this isn't realistic, and Kristen found this out the hard way. I don't have a Ph.D. behind my name, so I don't feel comfortable giving statistics, but what I can do is make you aware to ASK THE HARD QUESTIONS. Hold your physician accountable. Below is an example of a question to ask your physician when considering freezing your eggs.

Question- I am thirty-two years old, and I desire to have two kids in the future. Based off of my lab values you have reviewed (AMH, FSH), and ultrasound (antral follicle count) how many eggs do you feel like I will need to freeze for me to achieve my goal- two biological children in the future?

Side note- if you do not know the importance of FSH, AMH, and antral follicle count continue to follow along with my educational journey through EGGVICE on Facebook and Instagram, and you will soon find out! 

At the risk of sounding negative, it's important to remember- nothing in life is guaranteed. I'm sorry, I'm a realist. I hope I didn't offend anyone! About egg freezing, the hope is it will give you a chance at an opportunity that might not have been there if you did not take a leap of faith and freeze your eggs. Kristen thought she won the lottery. Wow- seventeen eggs are frozen...WOO HOO! But, what Kristen didn't foresee were the underlying medical conditions that were wrecking havoc on her body and preventing her from successful pregnancies. Egg freezing is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to achieving pregnancy in the future, but hopefully, it's one piece of the puzzle that can be eliminated from the equation. 

Full article can be read by clicking on the following link.

https://www.today.com/video/does-egg-freezing-really-protect-fertility-or-merely-offer-false-hope-1155610179974

Much love,

Bridget