My Egg Freezing Journey

At long last, I have put together a post about my egg freezing process. And I hope it will provide a lot of helpful information to all of you. I believe it is my longest post ever. Feel free to read it in parts, and to ask any questions you have.

 

How it began

I first started thinking about freezing my eggs about two and a half years ago when I read How To Be Single and Happy by Jennifer Taitz. A sidebar in one chapter discusses egg freezing. Reading it was the first time I considered that this might be something I would do in the future.

 

I put the issue aside for a long time until last winter, when I watched the JOWMA webinars and heard more about the process from Dr. Batsheva Maslow. At that point I decided I would look into starting by my 30th birthday. (Everyone is different, but I knew I wanted to do it on the younger side). Over the next few months, I listened to a number of podcast interviews with Dr. Maslow (on Singled Out, the JOWMA podcast, and Boss Maidel) and waited for a sign that I should get the ball rolling. (Kind of kidding, kind of not).

 

Over Pesach, I saw an ad for an A T.I.M.E. webinar called Banking Hope and I thought, okay, this might be it. I knew I wanted to connect with A T.I.M.E. in any event, for guidance regarding resources and referrals, so I joined the webinar. I had heard about the process many times at that point but it was still helpful because other women on the webinar (which was completely anonymous) posted a lot of good questions which were answered. Mrs. Vivienne Moskowitz from A T.I.M.E. talked a bit about resources the organization has for single women who want to freeze their eggs (partnerships with centers and pharmacies).

 

Time to call A T.I.M.E.

I called Mrs. Moskowitz the next day and left her a message. She called me back the next day and we talked. She was so kind and warm and gave me a couple of referrals for fertility centers near me (Greater NY area) as well as their pricing for A T.I.M.E. referrals. I chose to go with Extend Fertility since they were cheaper and egg freezing is their specialty. She encouraged me to keep her posted.

 

First visit to the center

A couple days later I called Extend and scheduled my initial bloodwork (the AMH test mentioned here). At the center, I filled out some basic paperwork and did the blood test. I requested to work with Dr. Maslow and scheduled a Zoom meeting with her. When we met a week and a half later (this was the first week in May), Dr. Maslow shared her estimate for how many eggs I might freeze in a cycle based on my age and AMH. We decided that I would not start the cycle with my next period because that would run into Shavuos, and I also decided to skip June because I had an out-of-town simcha. So, July was the target month.

 

Getting my ducks lined up

Next I got in touch with A T.I.M.E. about my estimated start date and they let me know how to handle payment as one of their referrals. They did have the option of taking out an interest-free loan payable over three years, which I chose not to utilize. I also applied to two discount programs for the medications and b”H received a discount through Compassionate Care (the other program is ReUnite Assist). These programs are offered through the pharmaceutical companies that make fertility medications.

 

At this point I started to go very extra and do some things mentioned here (I did not do all of them the whole time I was preparing, some I did for two-three months and some I did for a few days).

 

Medications

I will now take a moment to talk about the medications because this part was so overwhelming and confusing to me at first. The medications used during an egg freezing cycle are supposed to 1) help multiple eggs mature, 2) keep the eggs from ovulating too early, and 3) trigger the eggs to ovulate when it’s time. The meds are delivered subcutaneously (under your skin — via injection. Whoop-de-doo!!). Meds are made under more than one label, but are interchangeable functionally, even in the same cycle. The dosage for each med for each night of the cycle can vary. Dosages are tweaked every couple days or so based on results from the monitoring visits. These are early-morning visits to the center for blood work and ultrasound that show how your ovaries are responding to the meds.

 

These meds are interchangeable and are included in one or the other discount program:

Follistim and Gonal-F

Ganirelix and Cetrotide

 

Another med, Menopur, is not included in the discount programs and you use quite a bit of it. To save money, you can order it for less than half of the stateside price from an Israeli pharmacy, IVF Pharmacy. This sounds shady but it is not — everyone I know who needed Menopur ordered it from there.

 

Next steps

Extend assigned me a fertility advisor to be my main point of contact with the center following my session with Dr. Maslow. I had to return for some more bloodwork (STI test, TSH, CBC), sign consent forms regarding the process and storage, and watch videos about the process and how to inject myself. I also had to choose a pharmacy to have my prescription sent to. Since fertility meds are only available in some places, I was referred to Medcal Pharmacy in Brooklyn by A T.I.M.E. They do same day delivery in the five boroughs and next day delivery near NYC (possibly further?). I also needed a handwritten prescription for Menopur to submit to IVF Pharmacy (this was scanned and emailed to me by a nurse at Extend for me to upload myself on the pharmacy’s website, since it is an international pharmacy). IVF Pharmacy asks that you order meds at least two weeks before you need them (I ordered them way closer which was a nail-biter but FedEx came through b”H).

 

I ordered a few nights’ worth of Gonal-F and Cetrotide from Medcal, as well as needles and syringes for Menopur, which were included in the prescription. I ordered all the Menopur itself from IVF Pharmacy. (I did not order the trigger shot or antibiotics at this point, because those are needed at the end of the cycle). I put the meds in a discreet black shopping bag at the back of the fridge.

 

I watched the introductory videos on Extend’s educational platform but drew the line at watching the injection videos lol. I figured I’d do it at the last minute but I felt too queasy just then.

 

Complicated feelings

As July approached, I felt anxious and more than a little sad. While on the one hand, I was proud of myself for moving ahead and doing something I could control, on the other hand, I felt overwhelmed and alone. I was navigating an expensive and emotionally-fraught process myself, without knowing 100% if it was the right time, if it would be worth all the money and effort, if I’d have regrets. I was anxious about injecting myself but didn’t want to ask local nurses for help. I wanted to go through with the process but I really felt down.

 

And then a miracle happened

About two weeks before my cycle started, I spoke with a mentor about a shidduch, and egg freezing came up in the conversation. Before I could tell her how anxious and ambivalent I felt about doing it alone she said, “I was just talking to someone who is about to start her cycle in early July.” I almost dropped my phone. I was like, “Can you please please ask her if she is willing to be in touch with me? Because I am literally starting that week too and I am desperate for someone to talk to.”

 

And not only did this girl turn out to be my friend, she lives near me. We did injections together! Night activity! And she also had friends starting their cycle the same week. So we made a WhatsApp group and it was everything I could have asked for in a support group. We split up Sefer Tehillim and finished it twice while everyone was going through their cycles. We shared our anxieties, side effects, funny/awkward stories, vents, etc, and it was amazing. (One thing we agreed upon, we did not post numbers — AMH, antral follicle count, eggs retrieved or frozen). Even writing about it now, I cannot believe how amazing it was. How we were all doing it together, how I found them in the nick of time.

 

Here goes nothing

And finally, I got my period. Cycles usually start on period day two (different doctors may have slightly different protocols). I went in to Extend for my baseline bloodwork and ultrasound. The ultrasound is transvaginal — the wand goes into your vagina, yay. You can ask for the thinner wand and you can use vaginal dilators for a couple months before to help make it easier. You may be able to request abdominal ultrasound instead.

 

A nurse called me a bit later to give me my dosage for the next three nights and schedule my first monitoring appointment. I started off with Gonal-F and Menopur. That night I went over to my friend who had started a few days earlier and she showed me the ropes. We set up a little pharmacy on her desk: gauze pads, disinfectant wipes, needles, syringes, sharps container. I totally cried with frustration the first night; it took me awhile to figure out how to load the syringe with Menopur. But I did it. I injected myself. And something amazing happened with the first injection. I felt a rush from head to toe and I thought, I can do anything.

 

I can do anything.

 

(You can, too).

 

The cycle 

I had a monitoring appointment three days after my baseline testing, then two days later, two days after that, then a day later, and a day after that. After each appointment, a nurse would call me with my updated dosage, and if needed, I would order more meds. I added Cetrotide on the sixth night (so a total of two injections the first five nights, and three the next five nights). Each night I would go to my friend’s house with my bag of goodies and we would have an injection session. We spent Shabbos together and did the injections right before and right after Shabbos. Around day four I started to feel side effects: bloating, tightness and general discomfort. All of the girls in my group felt similar side effects.

 

Very quickly, the day came when the nurse let me know I was ready to trigger. I had been told to order the trigger shot (Lupron) in advance from a different pharmacy (Metro Drugs on Lexington Ave.) because Medcal doesn’t carry it. I had to administer it on Friday night at exactly 10pm, thirty-six hours before my scheduled retrieval 10am Sunday morning. I had a guest over for the seudah and I kept glancing at the clock. At five to ten I slipped away. I unboxed the trigger shot and sat on the toilet looking at it, and it looked back at me. Suddenly I was really scared. For a wild second I thought, how insane am I that I am sitting here considering this, can’t I just throw this away and forget I ever wanted to freeze my eggs. But with a deep breath and a prayer in my heart for healthy, beautiful children, I pulled the trigger.

 

The next day was Shabbos. I had asked a shaila and was told that since the bloodwork wasn’t needed to determine dosage but just to determine whether the trigger worked, I should not do a blood test even though that was standard protocol. Instead I did an ovulation test Shabbos morning (less of an issue from a halachik perspective but not ideal — but the next best option from a medical standpoint) and called the center right after Shabbos to confirm that I had ovulated.

 

I went in the next morning for my retrieval. It was…Tisha B’Av.

 

The retrieval

The actual retrieval is very short, about 15 minutes. During this time, the reproductive endocrinologist (Dr. Maslow) uses an ultrasound-guided needle to lightly suction the eggs from your ovaries while you are under light sedation. (More info here.) I got to my appointment about an hour before the retrieval time (was asked to come 30 minutes before but I was jittery so I gave myself lots of extra time). I changed into a gorgeous and flattering pink hospital gown, blue socks, and hairnet and put my belongings into a locker. I then met with my recovery nurse and anesthesiologist and the nurse put an IV into my arm.

 

A few days into my cycle I had filled out a hashgacha request form and sent it to A T.I.M.E. I was then in contact with the woman who handles hashgacha about when I would actually be doing the retrieval. My amazing mashgiach (mashgicha for female?) who was willing to come out on Tisha B’Av popped into the room to say hello. Finally, a medical assistant (who felt like an old friend at that point, I had seen her so many times during monitoring appointments) led me into the surgery room. The embryologist introduced herself to me through the window of the lab and had me confirm my information on the embryology labels (can you imagine if…?). My mashgiach was in the lab as well to ensure that all the right labels were affixed to my test tubes along with A T.I.M.E.’s seal.

 

The anesthesiologist started talking to me about my trip to Orlando and before I knew it the nurse was calling my name in the recovery cubicle. And that was really it! Dr. Maslow came in to tell me how many eggs she retrieved and had the nurse give me extra IV because I was fasting. I rested for about an hour and then a friend came to pick me up (one of my egg freezing buddies).

 

The next morning a nurse called to let me know how many eggs were mature and frozen. For the next few days I felt super bloated and like I was carrying something around in my abdomen but I just drank a lot and took Advil as needed. I got my period four days later which was really early but normal after the Lupron trigger.

 

Next attempt

I wanted to do another cycle back-to-back with the first but it didn’t work out. Since my period came so quickly, my body hadn’t gone back to baseline and there was still fluid in my ovaries which would negatively impact the cycle. Because of Y”T, I couldn’t do August or September, but now that we are after Y”T, I am starting to think about when to try again. (It’s way less overwhelming the second time, I would hope!)

 

And that, my very dear friends, is my egg freezing journey so far. I am so glad I was able to finally get this all down, and I hope it was helpful to you. I am here to answer questions to the best of my ability and be a support in any way I can, whether you are just starting to consider this or already in the middle of your cycle.

 

We can do anything.

 

P.S. Consider donating to A T.I.M.E. here 🙂