This topic seems to become more mainstream, especially after Covid, as dating came almost to a complete halt, but it’s also been helpful that many celebrities and public figures are open about the process. i.e. The Kardashians, Natasha Parker from Bachelor Nation to name a few.

I was always open to the idea of the traditional family, but watching everything that went down during the pandemic, the daily press briefings, the confusion and panic, it made me seriously consider not having biological children–I’m also not opposed to adoption. I went to a Dr. just to get a fertility check, and at the beginning of the appointment I literally said to him I don’t know if I want biological children, and I left saying, I’m open to freezing my eggs. He went through a lot of statistics and basically proceeded to freak me out (i.e. after the age of 40, the chance of miscarriage is over 40%). I know there are many women that have healthy children after the age of 40, but it was upsetting that even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted my own children, if I changed my mind, my body could very well not cooperate.

Thus began the egg freezing journey.

I narrowed down to two clinics and decided to go with the 2^nd one. I had wanted to get the process started ASAP as I wasn’t getting any younger, but with the 1^st clinic it seemed a little rushed. With Kindbody, the 2^nd clinic, they had a virtual Fertility 101 session where they provided a topline overview of fertility, as well as their holistic suite of services, which I really liked. The service that piqued my interest the most was nutritional counseling. 

Anecdotally I had heard that nutrition helps with fertility, and I figured if I was going to go through this process I was going to do it right. I met with their Nutritionist and HOLY COW-I thought I was doing pretty good-I aim for fresh vegetables everyday and barely drink soda-but she really opened my eyes up to what was possible. For more details on what I learned, check out the NUTRITION post here. 

Back to the egg freezing itself. I am scared of needles, I can’t even watch when I get my annual blood check, so oh the irony of going through this. That being said, the needle process was actually not that bad! I feel like it gets glossed over, so I’ll provide more details when we get to that part. 

CONSULTATION AND SUPPLEMENTS

At my Kindbody nurse consultation in October, I had an ultrasound where they assessed my follicle count. I already had my AMH (anti-mullerian hormone) checked, which is related to your ovarian reserve, and it was at normal levels. The actual follicle count however was on the lower end compared to the AMH level and my age–which was disappointing. I asked the nurse if there was anything I could do to get the follicle count up. She recommended that I start taking COQ-10 and DHEA. I had heard of COQ-10 from make-up artist Lisa Eldridge, it’s an antioxidant, but DHEA was new to me. DHEA is a natural hormone in your body, which decreases as you age. Taking supplements works as anti-aging therapy. Always consult with your health-care provider first, but I started taking both religiously at the recommended dose listed below, and I think it really helped.

• COQ-10 – 300mg 2x/day
• DHEA – 25mg 3x/day

After my Dr. Consultation, where we spoke about process and timelines, I was instructed to call in on the first day of my cycle and on Day 7 to start checking the ovulation predictor kit, with an expected positive around Day 12-14. The kit didn’t work well for me and I didn’t get a confirmed positive so we switched it up and I was put on Estradiol, which helps “keep everything nice and quiet”. I started my cycle as usual and went in at the beginning for blood tests, which would help determine when I would be ready to start the shots.

INJECTIONS

When it was determined I was ready, I picked up the medication from a specialty pharmacy to begin injections that evening. I was prescribed Follistim, Menopur, Ganirelix, and Pregnyl, which I believe are all standard for this type of procedure. I was given daily instructions of what to inject and how much in my patient portal, and I made sure to watch the training videos a few times. In case of emergencies, there was an off hours WhatsApp chat, which was reassuring. The needles for the Follistim were the thinnest, and I have to admit, I was freaking out right ahead of the first injection, just the thought of voluntarily jabbing yourself with a sharp needle was trippy, but I made sure I had enough skin/fat pinched (thanks fatty stomach!) and pushed slowly. I barely felt the needle AT ALL! 

The Menopur was slightly more difficult, as there was some pressure when I pushed down and the medication was going in, but it was completely bearable. After a few days though, some of the areas around my stomach were sensitive so I had to find new areas. The worst injection was the trigger medicine, on my last day prior to retrieval. My stomach was starting to look beat up, with minor bruising, and the liquid stung going in. A red itchiness developed for an hour or so post-injection, but all in all, if I can do the injections, anyone can. 

SYMPTOMS

I was expecting PMS symptoms x 10 when the injections started, but regular PMS was worse. I mostly felt fatigued and while I looked bloated, I didn’t feel bloated and there wasn’t any breast tenderness. The clinic sent through the following symptoms list and things to avoid. 

Normal and Expected Symptoms

• Bloating and cramping 
• Fatigue 
• Emotional response (similar to PMS)
• Headache – this whole process is very dehydrating, so please keep this in mind and drink plenty of fluids (water, electrolyte fluids, coconut water,etc.) each day.
  • Please limit coffee or tea to one cup per day, as these are also dehydrating. 

Please AVOID the following during your cycle (once you start injections): 

• High impact exercise/cardio. This is to prevent ovarian twisting. Things that are ok include yoga, barre, pilates, free weights, and walking. 
• NSAIDS. These include Advil, Motrin, ibuprofen, aspirin, and Aleve. It is best to avoid these leading up to the procedure given that they increase your risk of bleeding slightly. Tylenol aka Acetaminophen is okay. 
• Sexual intercourse.
  • This is both to prevent ovarian torsion and to prevent an unwanted pregnancy as you will become very fertile during this process. 
• Alcohol. This process is very dehydrating, and alcohol is very dehydrating, so it is best to just avoid

Side note: the list above mentions Ovarian Torsion twice. I have a separate post about ovarian torsion, because it’s very serious! It happened to my friend and if I hadn’t heard about her experience I wouldn’t have understood the severity. You can read the post here. 

I was in physical therapy for my knee surgery still and was just getting to the running and jumping phase. I stopped all high impact exercise once the injections started, and pressure in my right ovary developed as the shots continued. My follicle count was on the low end, so I imagine for younger and/or more fertile women you’d feel a lot more pressure and sensitivity. I tried yoga the first week of treatment, but when I would move too quickly I could almost feel something (the ovary, most likely) shifting, which was a new sensation I didn’t like. It was most obvious when I was getting up or sitting down. I had to move slowly so as not to jostle anything and used this as an excuse to not exercise, ha. Instead I went on as many walks as possible to supplement. 

The entire process from the first day of injections to egg retrieval was 12 days. In the last week, I was going to the clinic every other day before work for blood work and an ultrasound. I would ask the ultrasound tech how many follicles there were, and was happy to see the number going up! After my Friday appointment I was told the doctors would review all the labs and imaging and I would either have the retrieval that Sunday or come back on Monday for more blood work. I received a message Friday afternoon that it was a go for Sunday, I would trigger myself Friday evening, take a pregnancy test Saturday morning and send in a picture of the results. It was kind of weird being pregnant but not really! 

This post is getting long so I’ll move the retrieval procedure into another section. Conclusion is listed below for easy reference:

CONCLUSION

1. Take your time with finding the right clinic and take into account your overall health status. Don’t feel rushed or pressured to call in on the day of your next cycle to get the process started. Everyone’s health status is different and I recommend asking questions, taking a full assessment because it is a big financial commitment, and short-term physical sacrifice. Based off a computer prediction with my bio stats, I was expected to only retrieve 3-6 eggs, but my final egg number was higher, I believe due to the nutrition and supplement changes I made 
2. Injections are not that bad! I would hear women say that, but they didn’t go into details. It helps if you have fat around your stomach as it adds extra cushion, but just take your time and breathe. I would barely feel the needle go in, it was more when the liquid was being pushed down I would feel pressure
3. Have a conversation with your Dr. about your situation and concerns so they can provide the best guidance. I wanted to wait to start the treatments after my brother’s wedding, as I was concerned about drinking alcohol during the procedure, and like I said, ovarian torsion is really serious so I let my physical therapist know I absolutely could not do any high impact movements, and had to pause knee rehab for about 3 weeks. I didn’t have a lot of physical symptoms but there’s a lot going on in there! Take it easy! 
4. It’s common that one year of egg storage is included in the procedure fee, but then you have to pay yearly storage starting the year after. If you don’t use your eggs you’re able to donate them to science! Or even a family I believe, so there are options across the board