Freezing your future
Women are, for a variety of reasons, increasingly considering freezing their eggs as their route to motherhood.
WITH her fourties fast approaching, wellness entreprenuer Diane Chia knew she had to make a bold move – and soon – if she planned on having children.
Chia went all out: She decided to freeze her eggs. She was single at the time.
“I think the only concern that I had was my age,” says Chia, 38. “I knew that freezing eggs is optimal if you’re below 35. If you’re older, the quality and quantity of your eggs start to decline.”
Chia believes that egg freezing would allow working women like her the time to decide on when (or whether) they want to become mothers. It would also mean women would not have to sacrifice their careers in order to experience motherhood.
Egg freezing is gaining popularity worldwide as a way to preserve a woman’s fertility by collecting eggs when she is relatively young and storing them until needed.
The eggs are collected via IVF and then frozen in tanks of liquid nitrogen. When they are “ready to be used”, the frozen eggs are then thawed and those that survive the freezing process are then injected with sperm.
This process could theoretically offer women the option to have children exactly when they want.
Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Fertility Specialist, Laparoscopic & Minimal Invasive Surgeon Dr Jasdev Singh says that egg freezing is particularly helpful for women who find it difficult to conceive naturally due to various medical reasons.
“If you have a family history of early menopause or fertility issues, you may want to think about freezing your eggs earlier. Egg freezing can be a valuable option for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) or Endometriosis as both these conditions can impact egg quality and quantity, making it potentially challenging to conceive in the future.
“PCOS can lead to irregular ovulation and sometimes even anovulation and can affect egg quality. As for women with endometriosis, egg freezing can preserve their eggs before potential damage occurs as endometriosis can damage ovaries and fallopian tubes, impacting egg quality, quantity and fertility.”
Dr Jasdev Singh says that there is no “ideal” age for egg freezing, but that “the earlier you freeze your eggs the better it is”.
“With age, egg quality decreases. The highest quantity and quality of eggs are usually produced by women in their late 20s and early 30s, which increases the likelihood of successful fertilisation and subsequent pregnancy,” he says, citing studies that show “the younger the women, the higher the success rate”.
“However, it’s crucial to keep in mind that it’s better late than never. Even if you are at an older age, obtaining even a couple of high-quality eggs is beneficial,” he says.
The process
Chia said that she had to undergo multiple blood tests to ensure that she had enough eggs to harvest.
“I also had to take daily hormone injections over a 10-day period to help mature my eggs before they could be harvested,” she says.
“I think what scares people the most is the hormone injections that you have to administer yourself. But, the key is having a nurse that empowers you and can guide you through it well. That was actually the key for me. My nurse didn’t do it for me the
first time; instead she was by my side, guiding me as I injected myself and this made me realise that the process isn’t so scary after all.”
Once she got the green light from her doctor, fertility specialist and consultant obstetrician and gynaechologist Dr Mathi Arasu Muthusamy, Chia went through two rounds of egg freezing where a total of 11 eggs were retrieved to be frozen.
This was done with a gap of two months in between each round for her body to recover and so that she could ensure that her period cycle was normal before she got the green light to start the process again.
“The ratio of success is 10:1, so technically only one might be successful,” she says.
Though she is aware that “nothing is guaranteed”, Chia said that she is optimistic about the process.
Although she was single when she decided to freeze her eggs, Chia shared that she did meet someone along the process and that “he was extremely understanding and supportive”. He was impressed at Chia’s bold move to “take matters into (her) own hands”.
“This showed him how much I wanted a child one day, so from the get-go we had this understanding. Though we still want to try and conceive naturally if and when we do get married, I think this actually broke down barriers andmadeusbehonestfromthe start,” she said.
Living healthy
Chia shared that it had taken a “few years” before she actually made the decision to undergo the procedure. For one thing, she wanted to make sure she was “her best self” before she would undergo the procedures. involved.
She went on a full detox. “I stopped drinking (alcohol), I was regular with my exercise, and made sure I got enough sleep,” said Chia. “My doctor said that only smoking has a big effect and though I don’t smoke, I wanted to prepare my mind and body for the process.”
During her first few consultations, her doctor advised her not to put too much pressure on herself.
“Stress is actually one of the biggest factors when trying to get pregnant. So, I decided not overdo it and put too much pressure on myself with all my supplements and diet,” she said.
An alternative to consider
For Chia, egg freezing is a good “back up plan” for women like her.
“I would definitely encourage women to consider this especially if you’re a career driven woman or just not planning to get married just yet,” Chia said as “the younger you are the more eggs you would be able to harvest”.
However, she does point out that the process may not be for everyone.
“Egg freezing isn’t exactly the cheapest option,” she admitted. “It costs me between RM15,000 to RM18,000 (inclusive of three years of free storage) per cycle. But it depends on the individual case, and the number of eggs in storage as well as years in storage. There may also be additional blood tests done which would increase the costs.”
No regrets
Chia was open about her journey on social media and posted about her journey in real time. She started sharing when she realised how little people knew about egg freezing.
“When she started sharing her experiences with her family and friends, I realised they knew very little about this process. When people don’t talk about it, you’ll end up misinformed or uninformed. And when I started posting about my journey, I noticed how much people actually appreciated my honesty. This included men. Even those who have gone through this journey and were unsuccessful or found it painful appreciated my sharing,” she said.
“This may not be for everyone but it is an option, especially for those who cannot have children naturally, like some women with cancer and even those with PCOS or endometriosis.
“And, if you end up not using your eggs, if you do conceive naturally, you can always donate your eggs to people who need it.” she concluded.