Many of us choose to have children later in life. We wait until our careers have stabilized, we’ve traveled the world, or we’ve found the right person to share our lives with.

Unfortunately, our biological clocks keep ticking and our eggs aren’t able to let us wait too long.

Conceiving in your late 30s or your early 40s may present a few complications, especially regarding the quality and availability of your eggs.

Is now the right time to consider freezing your eggs?

To help you decide, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about egg freezing below.

When’s the Best Time to Freeze Your Eggs?
Freezing or donating your eggs is best done when you’re in your 20s or early 30s. Why?

Unlike sperm, eggs aren’t replenished. This means you’re born with all the eggs you’ll ever have. As we’ve previously mentioned, your egg count and quality begin to rapidly decline the older you get.

Therefore, the younger your eggs are, the healthier they’ll be and the less chance they’ll have of carrying any genetic abnormalities. Preserving these eggs while you’re in your “prime” can give you the reassurance you need if you decide you want children later in life. If you’re thinking about donating your eggs to help others build their families, this age range is often suggested by donor egg banks.

Should You Freeze Your Eggs?
Is having your eggs frozen the right decision for you?

Here are a few common reasons why you might consider freezing your eggs:

• There’s a risk that a condition you have or some medical treatment you need will cause infertility in the future
• You want to focus on your career before settling down to have kids
• You haven’t met the right person to have children with
• You want to increase your chances of being able to have more children further down the line
• You’re not sure if you will want children
• You want to help others going through infertility

There’s no right or wrong reason to have your eggs frozen. Rather, it should be something that feels right to you.

What’s Involved in the Egg Freezing Process?
Now you’ve decided to freeze your eggs, what can you expect from the process?
Thankfully, it’s quite straightforward.

To start, you’ll consult with a specialist to discuss your dreams/goals and medical history. This is the ideal time to ask questions and finalize your decision to freeze your eggs.

Then, when you’re ready, you’ll begin taking a course of hormones which help mature multiple eggs for retrieval. After administering a final trigger shot of hormones, these are removed under mild anesthesia using a fine needle guided into place by ultrasound.

How will you physically feel afterward?
You may feel the same cramping sensations experienced during your period, but this is often mild and soon eases.

Are Frozen Eggs Better, Worse, or the Same Quality as Fresh Eggs?
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, frozen eggs are nearly the same quality as fresh eggs and boast similar success rates.

Women over 35 who choose to use frozen donor eggs to conceive eliminate the complications that may arise with older pregnancies.

When your uterus is almost ready to receive an embryo, your frozen eggs will be thawed, fertilized, and (after maturation) one or two will be implanted into your uterus as embryos. Then, you’re free to enjoy a pregnancy like any other, carrying and nurturing your baby as it grows.

Likewise, if you are a woman in her late 30s or early 40s who is using frozen donor eggs to conceive, the benefits of doing so can be immense. 

You’ll not only be matched with a donor of your choice whose eggs have already been through a rigorous screening process to ensure her eggs are of the highest quality, but you’ll also be able to conceive on your own schedule. There’s no need to wait for your cycle to be synchronized with your donor’s (as there is with fresh), there’s no risk of donor cancellations and the entire process can often be completed in one to three months (instead of six or more with fresh).

A Future You Can Be Sure Of
Whether you want to freeze your eggs and donate them or safeguard your future choice to have a family, choosing to freeze your eggs may be the right step for you. From making sure you can still pursue that career you’ve always dreamed of, to giving you a chance to settle and find your motherly feet, you can beat infertility before it’s even had a chance to knock you back. And if you choose to donate your frozen eggs, you can help individuals struggling with infertility have the family they’ve always wanted as well. 

Guest post from https://donoreggbankusa.com/