Millennial Family Planning: Is Egg Freezing an Option?

Oocyte vitrification, also known as egg freezing, is a harmless and minimally invasive procedure and it has allowed millennial women for planning their family at a very early stage without giving up their careers. The saying that “you can’t have it all” no longer holds true for young professional American women. This dream is now achievable through egg freezing.

Gone are the days when it is not possible to have everything you want. A successful career, a great marriage, and beautiful children, but now, it is. Many millennial, ambitious young women spent their time immediately after graduation chasing success, acquiring wealth, and looking for Mr. Right. And this would postpone their family-building journey until they were in their thirties. Scientists and researchers were not okay with this and have found a new revolutionary and efficient way for ambitious women to have more reproductive possibilities through egg freezing.

Female Fertility and the Numbers

Physically, we have not changed since olden times. Our female ancestors usually had their first baby in their teens! Young women had more childbearing years during those times. They gave birth to multiple children believing that some would be lost to childhood diseases with just few reaching adulthood.

Recent statistics reveal that the average age people give birth to their first baby has increased from 21.4 in the 70s to 27+ in the year 2018. The current birth rate is approximately 100 births/1000 women for women from age 30 to 35. It is 52 births/1000 women for those between the ages of 35 and 39. Today’s society has changed people’s thinking, making them wait for a long time before deciding to build a family.  The latest technology and research have now made this possible. Nowadays, women as well as millennial couples can plan their family and follow those plans accordingly by freezing their healthy, viable egg.

The chance of getting pregnant in your mid 30s can be 14 to 30 percent lower

It is common knowledge that as women get older, their chances of conceiving decreases. This raises the risk of miscarriage, too. According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), healthy women in their 20s have the highest fertility rates. The chance of getting pregnant can be 14 to 30 percent lower for women between 35 and 39 years old. 

Also, the chance of conceiving can be up to 53 percent lower for women aged 40 to 41. Similarly, the rates of miscarriage are between 5-10 percent for women who are 20 to 29 years old. It increases to 33 percent for those in their early 40s. In addition, it is worth mentioning that disorders, such as Down’s syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities, occur in approximately 1 out of 200 pregnancies for young women in their 20s. For women 40 years of age, this number changes to 1 out of 38 pregnancies. 

Understanding the Numbers

These numbers give you a clear picture of what happens to female fertility, as you get older. Women have approximately 2 million eggs at birth, which they lose gradually and naturally in their lifetime. By the time they reach puberty, they have around 400,000 eggs left. At this stage, women seem to lose 1,000 eggs every month for the remaining part of their fertility years. Sadly, a woman’s body cannot generate new eggs.

What makes things even worse is that those few remaining eggs will dramatically reduce in quality, genetic vitality, and health as a woman ages. Current research shows that women’s eggs are approximately 80 percent healthy between the ages of 20 and 29. But this figure reduces to 10-20 percent when they are 40 years of age. This high number of abnormal, unhealthy eggs explains why older women find it difficult to conceive. This also states why they usually have miscarriages and have a high chance of giving birth to children with a chromosomal disorder.

Egg Freezing is a Great Option for Millennials and Those Who Want to Wait

Conceiving or having babies when it is physically optimal, although you are not ready yet, is not a solution. You may want to prioritize your career or may not be financially ready to have a baby. You cannot just cross your fingers and hope to be one of the few lucky women whose eggs retained their health and genetic viability when you are older.  This is what ambitious or economically downtrodden women have been doing for a long time. This is no longer necessary. Thanks to cryopreservation that allows egg freezing as a wonderful family building option at later stage of life for millennial parents.

Every young millennial woman should consider egg freezing while she’s still young and should have them stored for later use. The advances in reproductive science and technology have made the egg freezing process less invasive and inexpensive. This medical procedure makes sure that a woman has a go-to option to build or grow her family later in the future. Oocyte Vitrification is regarded as the most advanced process of freezing eggs. Once eggs are vitrified, they will probably be viable for many years. Eggs frozen using cryopreservation have lower chances of having chromosomal issues than eggs of a 40-year-old woman. Besides, these vitrified eggs are going to be available anytime she thinks the timing is right for her to be a mother.

The Egg Freezing Process

During the egg freezing process, a woman needs to undergo the early steps of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. Fertility medications are self-administered every day to promote the growth of ovarian follicles. In the meanwhile as many eggs as possible are retrieved for cryopreservation. It is important to remember that every single egg may not survive the thawing process, but most of them will. Several companies also include egg freezing in their health insurance plans. No doubt, cryopreservation is a good reproductive option that should be considered by women who are sure they would like to have babies in the future.

If you have any questions about the egg freezing process, we’re here to help! Coastal Fertility is located in Orange County, CA and has helped thousands of couples and individuals realize their dream of creating a family. You can visit us at www.coastalfertility.com or call (949) 726-0600 to schedule a free consultation.