Should I Freeze My Eggs If I Don’t Want Children?

You might be in your 30s and still have not had any children (by choice). Which is absolutely fine. I am one of those people. But there are always numerous conversations with friends and family that get us thinking about having children. Especially when they start saying things like
‘I just don’t want you to regret it later on in life’
‘What will you do with your life if you don’t have children?’

Of course there are plenty of people that don’t have children and don’t regret it. You can also live a normal, happy and fulfilling life without children. Sometimes a niece or nephew really is enough. But people that have children don’t always understand what it’s like to NOT want children, or to be unsure about having children.

Ultimately it’s a huge, life-changing decision and not to be taken lightly. We are lucky that we live in a day and age where we have multiple fertility options, including egg-freezing. But as with all fertility choices, it comes with pros and cons. And you can find yourself questioning, ‘Should I freeze my eggs if I don’t want children?’

Egg Freezing Is Not Talked About Enough

Egg freezing is not a particularly ‘hot’ topic. It almost feels taboo, though it shouldn’t.

Does it even exist on the school curriculum? We grow up with everyone around us assuming we will just want children one day and therefore no one actually stops to talk to us about this option.

My Mum has certainly never discussed it with me and it’s rarely mentioned within friendship groups.

I happened to hear a conversation on the radio about egg freezing when I was 30, and it was the first time I thought; is freezing my eggs something I need to be thinking about? When did you start thinking about it? Let me know in the comments, it would be great to understand at what point this is a considered option for people and why.

Why You Might Consider Freezing Your Eggs

Everyone’s situation is unique and different, but some reasons why one might consider freezing their eggs include:

If you are in your 30s (this is the age where your fertility decreases drastically) and believe you will want children in the future. The earlier you freeze your eggs, the higher the chances of success later on.
You have a condition which could affect your fertility such as an autoimmune disease.
If your Mum went through early menopause you may want to consider freezing your eggs as when you start Menopause can be hereditary
You need treatment for cancer which could affect your fertility thus preserving your eggs prior to treatment.
If you are undergoing gender reassignment from female to male but you are still considering children in the future.

What Do We Need To Consider When It Comes To Freezing Eggs?

What Is The Financial Cost To Freezing My Eggs?

Research by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority shows that in the UK it can cost around £8,000 for the procedure, medication and to actually use your eggs. Plus there’s an annual fee to store your eggs. Even before you’ve had a baby it could cost you around £10,000.

Yale Medicine reported that around only 3 – 9% of patients actually use their eggs. Which makes sense; if you freeze your eggs at 33 to use in roughly 6 years, a lot can change in that time, including getting pregnant.

Egg freezing is a plan B, hopefully you won’t have to use them, but they are there if you need to. So when you take into consideration that the vast majority of women who have their eggs frozen don’t end up using them, it’s a big financial outlay.

What Is The Impact On My Body If I Freeze My Eggs?

I would recommend speaking to a clinic about this if you want to understand the full impact but this gives you an overview.

You start by putting medication into your body to help you produce more eggs and help the eggs mature quicker. As with any medication, it can have side affects.

You then undergo a procedure to have your eggs extracted, and with all procedures there is always a risk to your health.

Finally, if you do decide to use your eggs but the process is not successful, there is a mental and emotional cost attached to that too. Egg freezing is not a guarantee.

Egg Freezing Facts:

Oocyte cryopreservation is the technical term for having your eggs frozen.
The average age for women to freeze their eggs has decreased dramatically and women even as young as 25 are looking to take control of their fertility options for the future. You still need to consider all the facts before making this decision, no matter what your age.
Egg freezing is essentially a numbers game, the more eggs you freeze, the higher your chances of having a baby.
The quality of our eggs reduces as we age, particularly once we get past 35.
The number of eggs that can be extracted varies from cycle to cycle.

Egg freezing is not something to be taken lightly. If you are considering it then speak to a clinic. There is clearly a big financial, physical and emotion impact to consider.

Even if you don’t think you want children, it’s worth knowing what all your fertility options are, the timeframe and everything else that needs to be considered. Ultimately we should all make more of an effort to discuss this topic so it becomes less of a taboo.

Amber

P.s If you’re not sure you want children you should read my post; I Don’t Want Kids. Is There Something Wrong With Me?