4 Women Share Their Egg Freezing Experiences

Four women, four different journeys. Here's what they learned about the costs, the challenges, and the profound sense of relief that comes with taking control of their reproductive future.

When people share their egg freezing experience, we often hear the horror stories. But the truth is, there is no single narrative. As I learned from speaking with four incredible women, the experience is deeply personal. From a physical therapist freeze her eggs with a PCOS diagnosis to a decision between freezing eggs vs. embryos, each path is unique. Here are four distinct stories about what it truly takes to preserve the option of becoming a mom.

Jan, 30, New York

The idea to freeze my eggs first came to me about six months ago. I was at a dinner where two women were openly talking about their experiences, and I thought it was so cool. It inspired me to look into it, and since my partner and I know we don’t want kids for at least another four or five years, I decided to get the process started. I just wanted to feel secure and take the ticking clock out of the equation.

I was honestly mentally psyched out before I started. The narrative around egg freezing can be pretty scary, but my experience was surprisingly straightforward. I didn’t have bloating outside the ordinary and had very few physical symptoms. I kept my life very normal, still getting 7,000-10,000 steps a day, rode CitiBike around NYC, and didn’t put my social life on pause. My partner was a huge help; I did the Gonal-f injections in the mornings, and he handled the Menopur shots for me in the evenings. We even did my trigger shot at a restaurant because it had to be timed for exactly 9:20 p.m.! We definitely looked a bit sketchy, ha!

In the finance aspect, my company’s insurance plan wasn’t going to cover the treatment, but my partner works at a big tech company and has great fertility benefits. I could get on his plan since we became domestic partners. In New York State, it requires the couple to live together, and I think readers should definitely look into their local state laws before making that decision. Anyhow, it's the right decision for us, and it is a qualifying life event, so I got added to my partner's insurance plan, and it covered the treatment.

They retrieved 23 eggs and 16 were frozen. I’m happy with the number and feel so freed. I might do another round in a year or two, but for now I feel like I’ve checked a huge thing off my list. I feel there’s a bias for sharing more negative experiences, but for me, this was such a cool and empowering opportunity. It feels amazing to have this option.

Laura, 40, North Carolina

I decided to freeze my eggs three years ago, at 37. I've always wanted to be a mother, but I was single and worried about what would happen if I didn't find a partner in time.

The process was challenging. I dealt with constipation, and the hormones definitely affected my mental health; I felt depressed and anxious for a couple of days. The morning monitoring appointments were also a lot to handle.

I highly recommend having a support partner. I was lucky to have a friend who is a doctor; he would video chat with me during my injections to make sure I handled the needles correctly, and was a lifesaver when the pharmacy delivered the wrong kind of needles—those long, intramuscular instead of subcutaneous ones. We had to call the clinic's emergency line to get it sorted out. Having someone to help you navigate everything is so important, especially since I didn't know anyone else who had gone through it.

In the end, they retrieved 21 high quality eggs. I got pregnant naturally soon afterward. My son is 2 now, and I’m in the relieved yet strange position of not knowing what to do with my frozen eggs.

Alyssa, 33, New York City

When I hit my 30s, I realized my life looked a little different than I’d imagined. I’m happily single and not willing to settle, but I thought I’d be on my way to having kids by now. As a pelvic health specialist, I see so many patients who’ve frozen their eggs, and they all say it takes the pressure off dating. So, last year, I decided it was the right move for me, and I froze my eggs this past February.

I’ve known my whole life that I have PCOS, but you have to be ready to expect the unexpected. During the process, they found a large cyst on my ovary that required extra imaging appointments. That’s why my first piece of advice is that location of the clinic matters. The morning monitoring appointments are a huge time commitment, and if your job isn’t flexible, you need a clinic that’s easy to get to. My second piece of advice is to have a support system. My friends and family were amazing, checking in on me and making sure my recovery was okay.

My recovery took about two weeks. As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I was lucky to have baseline knowledge about post-procedure bloating and care—I was even doing lymphatic drainage on myself. Now, when my own patients go through it, I can prepare them for a longer recovery and give them tools that make a world of difference. The other huge factor is cost. I’m self-employed and paid out-of-pocket, but it’s so important to shop around for a clinic you’re comfortable with and to see if your employer offers any fertility coverage.

My doctor explained that while PCOS can make it hard to conceive naturally, it makes you a great candidate for egg freezing because the eggs are all there. They were able to retrieve 36 eggs, and 31 of them were viable. I feel incredibly lucky. I don’t plan on using them right now, but I’m so happy to have that security for my future.

Cat, 43, California

My fertility journey started back when I was 37, and to be honest, I was incredibly anxious. I went to a clinic in Southern California, but they didn’t walk me through much and recommended embryo freezing because of my age and low AMH value. I recall that my injection time was usually when I was still at work, so I had to carry a portable freezer with me with the hormone meds inside just to manage the timing. After all that, the first round was devastating. They retrieved ten eggs, but only five were mature, and it resulted in only one healthy embryo. On top of that, I developed a fever and a mild case of OHSS following the egg retrieval procedure, and the whole process cost over $30,000.

After that experience, which left me feeling defeated, I put my fertility journal on pause. Then COVID happened, and a series of life events during COVID made me realize how much I still wanted to build a family. But by the time I was ready to try again, my AMH levels had dropped from 0.6 to 0.35. I also found a new clinic. However, this new clinic immediately recommended donor eggs based on my age, low AMH, and other metrics. I wasn't ready to go down that path, so I knew I had to find another option.

The third clinic was the charm. They were willing to work with me on a low-dose protocol. I also did a lot of preparation on my own—going to acupuncture two or three times a week and taking supplements like CoQ10. This time, we ended up with four healthy embryos. My message to your readers is to advocating for yourself and not giving up until you find a medical team that listens to you and is willing to try.

Have a unique story and perspective you’d like to share? Please get in touch: contact@hellovivacare.com

(Photo by Micheile Henderson via Unsplash)