US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, has announced that she is freezing her eggs to feel more in control of her life. The 36-year-old has not said whether she plans to have children but has been saving up for the process. Egg freezing, formally called oocyte preservation, is one of the clearest ways to extend a woman’s childbearing years.
What is Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing involves extracting eggs from the ovaries and preserving them until the woman hopes to become pregnant. The process is most effective in a woman’s 20s or early 30s, when she typically has more viable eggs. According to Dr. Pardis Hosseinzadeh, assistant professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Johns Hopkins Medicine, women who undergo this procedure before the age of 35 typically have better outcomes in terms of the quality and quantity of the eggs retrieved.
A female baby is typically born with about 1 million to 2 million eggs. That number drops by about 10,000 a month before puberty and by about 1,000 a month after puberty. Factors such as smoking and medication use can also affect that supply. By age 30, a woman has about 70,000 eggs left; by 40, about 18,000. After 40, about half are abnormal and unlikely to result in pregnancy.
The Process
A woman interested in freezing her eggs first has a physical exam to determine whether she is a good candidate. A doctor reviews her medical history, orders blood and hormone tests, and performs a transvaginal ultrasound to estimate egg supply. If she qualifies, a doctor prescribes hormones to encourage the ovaries to produce as many healthy eggs as possible.
The patient injects hormones for up to two weeks and undergoes regular blood tests and ultrasounds to track her progress. Then, 36 hours before the eggs are retrieved, the patient takes trigger medication to initiate final egg maturation. A doctor retrieves the eggs through an ultrasound-guided outpatient procedure under general anesthesia.
The eggs are then checked for maturity and undergo vitrification, a rapid-freezing process that uses liquid nitrogen, and are stored until the patient is ready to use them. The cost of egg freezing can be high, with prices ranging from $10,000 to $15,000, and egg storage can cost up to $1,000 a year.
Why Freeze Eggs?
Elective egg freezing can offer more flexibility and control over reproductive health. Women may choose to freeze their eggs for various reasons, such as finishing school, becoming more financially stable, or advancing their careers before having children. According to Dr. Hosseinzadeh, many women freeze their eggs because they don’t have immediate plans to pursue fertility but want to preserve their options for the future.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
