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Women in Egypt are constantly being pressured to get married and have kids. When a woman turns 30 and there are still no prospects of getting married, the pressure starts to increase as the clock starts to tick. Unfortunately, apart from societal pressures, internal stress and struggles can leave many women feeling insecure as they have always dreamt of becoming mothers. That’s where science and egg freezing come in and allow women to break free from societal expectations as well as give themselves a chance of having kids even if they get married at a later stage in life.
Studies have shown that women face risks of getting pregnant after the age of 38-40. This is mainly because the quality of the eggs they produce decreases, making it difficult to fertilize. However, with egg freezing, a woman manages to extract and harvest healthy, young eggs that can be so much easier to fertilize when a woman decides to have babies at an older age.
In this article, you’ll find all the answers you’re looking for on egg freezing:
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing process
According to gynecologist Dr. Doaa El Lakany, egg freezing is a process where a woman’s eggs are extracted, frozen, and stored as a method to preserve reproductive potential in women. The process involves injecting hormones to stimulate the egg growth for 10-12 days, followed by egg extraction. This is a simple procedure where a patient leaves the hospital in less than 2 hours.
Egg freezing process
The egg freezing process is quite simple and straightforward. It is non-invasive and involves around two weeks of:
- Stimulating the ovaries with hormones to allow them to produce a larger number of eggs
- Extracting the eggs from the ovaries
- Storing them at a cool temperature to be used at a later stage
During this process, you’ll need to take hormonal injections, do blood tests, and get ultrasounds. Below, Dubai-based Lebanese fitness influencer and athlete, Tracy Harmoush, documents her egg freezing journey in detail to help you get an idea of what the entire process entails:
Egg freezing journey part 1
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Egg freezing journey part 2
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Egg freezing journey part 3 – Extracting the eggs
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How to prepare for egg freezing
The first thing you need to do is visit a fertility clinic or an expert in the field to help you understand the pros, cons, risk factors, and how well your body will react to egg freezing. Most likely, you’ll be asked to undergo an ultrasound and a few lab tests that help determine your fertility health such as:
- Ovarian reserve testing: This helps determine the quantity and quality of your eggs by checking the concentration of follicle-stimulating hormones as well as estradiol levels in your blood on the 2nd or 3rd day of your menstrual cycle. These results will help your fertility doctor understand how well your body will react to fertility medication.
- Infectious disease testing: Your doctor will want to check that you do not have any infectious diseases that might impact your fertility and results.
Who should consider freezing their eggs?
Age plays a very important factor in egg freezing. The younger your eggs are when frozen, the more opportunity of numerous, healthier eggs. Every person has their own reasons for freezing their eggs. However, egg freezing is ideal if:
- You’re over 35 and single
- You’ve been diagnosed with cancer or autoimmune diseases that could affect fertility, or need to take chemotherapy for any reason
- You want to delay getting pregnant or space out your children and are 35+
In the below video, Tracy Harfoush shares her reason for resorting to egg freezing:
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In the below video, Reem Mehanna shares her reasons for egg freezing:
When is the best age to undergo the egg freezing procedure?
While you could get healthier eggs in your 20s, the egg freezing process makes sense for a woman in her early to late 30s. Ideally, you should opt for egg freezing before or at the age of 35 to ensure you have healthy eggs. However, for some people who hit menopause early, you may need to opt for egg freezing at an earlier age. Just make sure you consider egg freezing before the age of 38-40 to be able to extract numerous healthy eggs.
If I’m a virgin, can I still perform the egg freezing procedure?
Abdominal egg freezing
Most egg freezing procedures are extracted from the vagina. However, if you’re a virgin, there is an option to extract the eggs through the abdomen. Abdominal egg retrieval is performed under general anesthetic where the doctor inserts a needle through the abdomen to reach the ovaries.
What are the side effects of egg freezing?
Most of the side effects you’ll be feeling will be similar to those you experience while PMSing. These will include the following:
- Abdominal bloating
- Mood swings as a result of the hormonal injection
- Hot or cold flashes
- Tender or sore breasts
- Insomnia
What happens to the eggs when they’re frozen?
Via: My Health Turkey – Egg Freezing
Your eggs are stored in a lab until you decide to use them. When you’re ready, the egg can be thawed, fertilized with a sperm in the lab, and then implanted into your uterus similar to a regular IVF (in vitro fertilization) process. However, the eggs you’ll be using are younger and healthier, increasing your chances of getting pregnant.
How much does egg freezing cost in Egypt?
While each clinic will probably charge a different fee, the average cost of the egg freezing procedure in Egypt is around EGP 15,000. This will probably include the hospital/clinic fees, doctor fees, and lab fees. The medication (hormonal injections) will probably cost around EGP 5,000 – 7,000 based on the clinic and every year you keep your eggs stored, you will probably pay an average of EGP 1,000 – 2,000.
Further reading:
- Pregnancy Week By Week: Week 1 to 9
- 6 Things to Avoid While Trying to Get Pregnant
- How to Get Pregnant Fast? Best Fertility Vitamins
- Egg Freezing – Mayo Clinic
- Frequently asked questions about egg freezing – USC Fertility
- Egg Freezing and Storage – Gynii Mi
- What are the side effects of egg freezing? -Extend fertility
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