My Journey with Cushing’s disease
At 30 years old, I was fit, healthy and naturally a size 8–10. I knew my body well, which is why, when it started to
Over the past five years or so, research has shown an uptick in women choosing to freeze their eggs, with a 34% increase in the number of women who have undergone egg freezing treatment in this period. Data from the HFEA confirms that egg and embryo freezing cycles are the fastest growing treatments in the UK.
Infertility in its various forms is an issue that has not reduced in severity, however, with a growing understanding and technological ability, treatment options are improving. Now, we have the ability to improve the chances of women who may otherwise struggle to get pregnant, but also level the playing field for women who are restricted by societal factors, even if they are fortunate enough not to have fertility issues.
The increase in egg freezing cycles and accompanying lowering of the average age of women undergoing treatment, is likely due to the growing number of societal factors delaying women in starting a family. We are living in a time of economic headwind, where individuals may be focusing on their needs of housing and career development, particularly in the face of a cost-of-living crisis and job uncertainty. For many various reasons, women are choosing to have children later in life.
Some women may feel anxious about this, as they could be concerned they are “running out of time”. Women’s fertility does decrease with age, and whilst it’s not necessarily a ticking clock to be ruled by, it’s important that women understand what impacts their fertility from a young age, so they can make educated decisions about when they might want to start a family and what they will need to do so. Women should be proactive about understanding and improving their natural fertility health and about options such as egg freezing if they are planning to delay starting a family.
The science of egg freezing has been transformed in the last 10 years: the introduction of vitrification (also known as “fast freezing”) has significantly improved chances of success. In fact, eggs that have been frozen are now more than 80% likely to remain viable for fertilization.
However, the main differentiator in success rates is the age at which women freeze their eggs. Results have shown women who freeze their eggs in their early 30s have improved chances of success with these eggs further down the line: this is because their eggs are of better quality at a younger age. It is advisable, however, that women have a full consultation with a fertility doctor to determine whether egg freezing is a sensible option for them before beginning treatment.
Egg freezing is by no means a miracle treatment or a silver bullet solution. However, the advancement in its technology and growing adoption of treatment provides a great step in empowering women with reproductive choice. Providing a leveler for women that are subject to a realm of gendered patterns will be another step in the right direction to narrowing the gender health gap.
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