Stephaine Stark's Egg Freezing for Every Women

I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Stephanie Stark's book Egg Freezing for Every Woman. If you're contemplating egg freezing, this book is a great place to start your research.  It's clear, concise and very informative. The facts are laid out in an organized and orderly fashion, which is awesome because the egg freezing process can feel overwhelming in the beginning. Who am I kidding? The process is an emotional roller coaster throughout.

Back to the book; here are a few of my favorite parts:

In chapter three, Finding the Best Clinic, Stephanie provides a list of 12 questions you can ask the doctor when "interviewing" fertility centers.  I would say about half of the answers can be found on  a clinic's website so you can have those answers before you even go to the appointment. The remaining will depend on your age and health factors, which you can discuss with the doctor directly. Of the 12 questions, I think these two are most important to remember when choosing a clinic:

1. Has your clinic achieved live births from egg freezing from women my age?  If so, how many? 
2. Based on my age and health, how many rounds of egg freezing do I need to go through?

Happy New Year!

So many great things happened in 2015!  I was given several opportunities to get out of my comfort zone and take more risks.  It was a little terrifying at first, but it opened me up creatively and has been a fantastic experience.  I started studying improv at iOWest and was chosen for the Honor Roll show.  It was a blast!  I never thought this would happen, but I was turned into a cartoon character.  How cool is that?!  An interview about my egg freezing journey and Chill, ran on the front page of the Los Angeles Times with a photo.  In addition, Chill was named one of the top 20 films in the making by From the Heart Productions.  Last, but not least, I traveled to India where I rode and bathed an elephant, attended my first Indian wedding and visited the Taj Mahal.  It was a magical trip!  Looking forward to seeing how this amazing adventure unfolds in 2016!

A big thank you for your support and encouragement. Wishing you a fun-filled and prosperous New Year!

Photo Legend - Row 1: Honor Roll props, new head shot, updated Chill logo; Row 2: Sunday Night interview, Mixed Remixed, elephant bath; Row 3: egg photo credit F. Orr, new head shot, FOX 11 interview; Row 4: me as a cartoon, last Honor Roll show, at the Taj Mahal

USC Fertility Talks Egg Freezing and Chill

Here's a little write up from USC Fertility about my egg freezing experience and Chill!

Chill Documentary Follows USC Fertility Patient Through Egg Freezing in Her 30s
by USC Fertility

"Her eggs were on the cover of the Los Angeles Times.  

You may recognize Jennifer Frappier, the lovely woman who decided to freeze her eggs when she was 36.  Dating but not betrothed, she opted for egg freezing and three years later has found her voice as a blogger and documentary filmmaker raising awareness for fertility preservation. 

After her initial research into egg freezing, Jennifer made and appointment with Dr. Kristin Bendikson with USC Fertility as a part of a fact-finding mission.  After learning more about the fertility treatment, Jennifer asked herself not 'Should I pursue egg freezing?' but 'Why wouldn't I?'

Why USC Fertility for Egg Freezing?

Jennifer says that her first impression was that USC Fertility is a family.  'Seeing the pictures of kids on the wall, having everyone treat me with kindness and respect, and even the woman who had taken my blood encouraged me and was part of my journey.'

Two weeks later, Jennifer started the egg freezing process.  That first cycle ended on the third day because of a dominant follicle that concerned Dr. Bendikson.  For Jennifer, the holiday season and her grandfather's health put plans on hold, but the next egg freezing cycle proceeded as planned. 

'It went super smooth -- no monster follicles!' she said.  'I felt this sense of euphoria; I was happy and excited.' She had the trigger shot, moved on to egg retrieval and woke up with 13 eggs, of which nine were mature. 

Nine were enough for Jennifer.  'I remember talking to my mom about having more eggs retrieved.  I asked myself:  Was there a number that would ever be enough?  That perspective helped me to feel content.'

Guess Who's a Hot Film in the Making?

AWESOME NEWS: I'm excited to share that Chill has been named one of the top 20 Hot Films in the Making by From the Heart Productions. 

How cool is that?!

Chill on Australia's Sunday Night

About a month ago, I was interviewed by PJ Madam from Sunday Night to be a part of an egg freezing segment called, To Freeze or Not to Freeze.  It aired in Australia this past Sunday night!

As you know, I believe it's very important for women to be informed that egg freezing is an option, do the research and make the best choice for themselves.

I'm so grateful to continue to be a part of the conversation and share my story.

Chill & Motiio

A huge thank you to Motiio out of Washington, DC for creating Chill's new logo, Twitter header, updated blog design and last, but definitely not least -- a new promo.  I never thought I'd get to see myself as a cartoon, but they made it happen and I love it! Check it out!

Chill Promo from Jennifer Frappier on Vimeo.

Awesome, right?  If you like their work, be sure to follow them on Twitter @MotiioMedia

Dear China

If you haven't heard, there are some people that have serious beef with China and their egg freezing policies. And yes, I'm one of them.  

Why?  You ask?

It all started this summer when Xu Jinglei, actor and director, unapologetically shared that she froze her eggs in the United States. Unfortunately, this was not well received in China for two reasons:  her age and marital status.  She's 41 and single.

China's Ministry of Health has set some new boundaries for egg freezing:  "Chinese couples interested in using assisted reproductive technology must present their marriage certificate, identity cards and birth permits and prove that at least one partner is suffering from fertility difficulties if they want to use the technology."

Wait a minute.  It's my understanding that single Chinese women don't receive birth permits and for obvious reasons don't have marriage certificates.  Is the Ministry of Health saying that unmarried women are not allowed to go through the egg freezing process?

Hello?  Anyone?  Bueller?

Teenager Smeenager

Yep, this is me (and my hair)
when I was 17.

I remember myself as a teenager.  I was shy, incredibly unsure, afraid of almost everything and possessed the magical ability to blush instantaneously if a cute, teenage boy looked in my direction.  I had no idea who I was, never mind, who I wanted to be.  I was all over the place.  Who am I kidding?  I'm 39 and some days I still feel like I have no idea what the hell I'm doing in this life.

You know the one thing I've never doubted?  That I wanted to be a mother.

A friend sent me a link to an article about a transgender teen who chose to freeze her eggs before transitioning into a man.  After reading about Cole and watching the video, my first thought was, "Wow.  That's one brave kid."  I admire that at 18 years old, Cole knows who he is and who he wants to be.

Check out Cole's story and let me know what you think.

Front Page of the LA Times!

My eggs were on the front of the LA Times!  How cool is that?

Let's Discuss Egg Freezing -- Pass the Wine
by Mary MacVean

If you peeked in on a recent party at the Viceroy Santa Monica, you might have noticed that the guests, almost all female, were chatting quietly, hesitantly, in pairs or trios. This wasn't a group of good friends — Prosecco and hors d'oeuvres aside.

The women were there to consider an investment: spending thousands of dollars to retrieve and freeze their eggs in case they need them one day to try to become a parent.

Egg-freezing parties — this one called On Ice — are a thing now. The idea is that not enough women are thinking about this procedure and are not thinking about it soon enough.

"Everyone who can afford to freeze their eggs should freeze their eggs. Women should take this seriously," Dr. Vicken Sahakian said at the Viceroy hotel party. "The older you are, the more eggs you need. The older you are, the fewer eggs you produce."

Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is neither a sure thing nor cheap — running $10,000 or more a cycle, not to mention hundreds of dollars a year in storage fees, and rarely covered by insurance or employers (Facebook and Apple being among the exceptions). And there is plenty of cultural debate over whether egg freezing takes advantage of women desperate to have a child or is a way to empower them.

But doctors and women who've done it call it insurance; women say it enables them to establish a career, travel or find the right partner before becoming a parent.

"It will be absolutely the greatest gift you can give yourself because it will give you the opportunity to create the family of your dreams, and you will never regret it," Dr. Carrie Wambach said at the Viceroy, where there was a raffle for free medication needed for the process.

At the Viceroy, and at parties on other nights at Boa Steakhouse on the Sunset Strip and in the Beverly Wilshire hotel, doctors explain the procedure and answer the nervous questions: I'm 39 — or 37 or 35. Is it too late? 

Me, EggBanxx and Fox11 News

I'm happy to share that I was a part of an egg freezing discussion with Egg Banxx and Fox11 this week.  Notice the title under my name this time. My eggs aren't just frozen, they're banked. Click here to watch the clip.