Can We "Have It All"?

Being single and in my mid-thirties, I am quite familiar with the steady stream of comments regarding my lack of marriage and children.  Honestly, I know I'm not the only woman half way to 40 plagued by this, but sometimes it feels that way. 

These days more women are postponing motherhood or buying themselves time by opting to freeze their eggs.  Check out the article, Egg Freezing: De-Thaw To "Have It All"; it discusses two woman, Sabrina and Deborah, and their reasons for freezing their eggs. 

Now what?

Now that my eggs are frozen, there's a follow up question people love to ask: "So when are you gonna use them?"

During my initial research, I came across a great website that discusses everything egg freezing.   I was pleasantly surprised that Eggsurance provided so much information in one place.  The best part?  A handful of "Women Like Me" who had already completed their journey, including Eggsurance founder, Brigitte. 

Freaking Out

I have a habit of freaking out about things I can't control.  It's not one of my better qualities, but I've been working on it.

A few years ago I started meditating.  When I'm dicisplined enough to meditate regularly, it's much easier to surrender the unknown. 

Sometimes when things around me are running smoothly, I get cocky and skip the daily meditations.  Big mistake. 

Good News

I'm excited to share that I received fantastic news yesterday: 

"Congratulations! Your project Chill has been accepted for fiscal sponsorship with Artspire, a program of the New York Foundation for the Arts. We are excited to begin our relationship with you, provide technical assistance to support your project’s growth, and ultimately watch Chill come to fruition."  

How cool is that?!

Dream Big

The original purpose of this blog was to provide information on the egg freezing process, encourage women during their egg freezing journey and share my own. 

 

It has been brought to my attention by my BFF, that I'm not taking full advantage of this blogging business.

"Why are you making it so specific? Why don't you include more experiences from your life journey?"

The first few words of the documentary tag line clearly say "balancing life" so I guess he has a point.  I've been limiting my writing when the truth is:  I have complete freedom.

Egg Freezing "Experimental" Label Lifted

The good news is spreading like wildfire.  The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has lifted the “experimental” label from egg freezing declaring that the “rate of pregnancy and healthy offspring are comparable to using fresh eggs.”  

Less than a decade ago, human egg freezing was considered a new, expensive and uncertain technology.  Today, the costs will still put a dent in your bank account, but science has made great advances.  

The breakthrough was a process called vitrification or flash-freezing.  “ 80 percent or more of vitrified eggs survive thawing and up to 12% of thawed fertilized eggs produce a pregnancy.”   With significant improvements in freezing and thawing techniques, the probability for overall success increases. 

Laura's Aha! Moment

Check out the last article from Laura Naaman's egg freezing journey, What's Oprah Got To Do With It?  My favorite excerpt is from the last paragraph:

"...I have a really good life. God, or whoever (let’s be honest God is probably Oprah anyway) has taken care of me. If I’m meant to have kids, I’ll have them. If I’m not, I still have a lot of other amazing stuff. Hilarious friends, a fun job, parents who—despite what the butt doctor says—truly DON’T give a crap if I give them grandkids or not. In the meantime, I will sleep until noon on the weekends, and do my very best not to make myself miserable trying to avoid some vague possible future regret."

Laura, thanks so much for allowing us to come along with you on your journey!

Me and Kim Kardashian

I never thought I’d be saying this, but it seems that Kim Kardashian and I have something in common.  And no, it’s not a sex tape… She’s freezing her eggs!  

In the season finale of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim starts hormone shots to begin her egg freezing journey.  She says, “I decided to get my eggs frozen so that when the time is right I am prepared in case something happens.”   

At 31, Kim is at a pinnacle place in her fertility.  Like the rest of us egg-freezers, she’s making a proactive choice to extend her fertility. Good luck in your journey Kim!

To read more about her story, click here.

Advocacy: Life After Egg Freezing

I read an article on EmpowHER.com called Advocacy:  Life After Egg Freezing.  When I got to the last paragraph, I noticed my name and a quote!   Here are some other parts that stood out: 

• "I believe that we are driven to advocacy because many of us just didn't know.  We didn't know how quickly fertility declines after 35." 
• "What matter is the common bond that unites us.  Once we know more about our own fertility, we want to share our own experience and help ease the way for other women....We are not ashamed to be open about fertility.  It is no longer...ssshhh...the dreaded 'F' word." 
• "As Jenni who recently froze 9 eggs so eloquently says in her case study, 'There have been many women before you.  There will be countless women after you.  You're not alone.'"

To read the full article, click here. 

My Eggsurance "Women Like You" Interview

A few weeks ago, I shared my egg freezing experience with the founder of the Eggsurance website, Brigitte.  To check out my "Women like You" Interview, read below.




Jenni
Current age: 36
Age eggs were frozen: 36
# of eggs frozen:   9

Why did you freeze your eggs?
I’ve always wanted to have a family. That’s never been a question for me. Turning 35 really threw me for a loop. I was no longer in the early-thirties bracket. I just kept thinking, “I’m halfway to 40.” You know the scene in When Harry Met Sally where Sally is in her bathrobe crying and she says, “And I’m gonna be 40….Someday.” That’s what I felt like. Forty was five years away at the time, but it was looming. I had to be really honest with myself about what I wanted for my future. If having kids was important to me, taking action to possibly extend my fertility seemed reasonable enough. I made the decision to freeze my eggs because I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have my own children AND I didn’t want to pressure myself to choose a partner just because I wanted to have a family. It’s all a matter of timing.