Page 18 - Final Inspirational Women Issue
P. 18

CALLING ALL EGGS!



                                                           By Carol Heath



                           OU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED    physicians is that women may      What's that you say, you'd like
                        Yto, a Tupperware party, a     view this procedure as a guaran-  a personal trainer for your eggs. I
                        Pleasure party, a Birthday party?   tee of getting pregnant; it’s NOT!  have a solution, well several actu-
                        No sorry, none of the aforemen-   Well over one-third of infertil-  ally. Forward-thinking companies
                        tioned, but you are invited to an   ity cases are unexplained and a   like Apple and Facebook are now
                        Egg Freezing party. Yes, that is   third of all miscarriages have no   offering egg freezing as part of
                        what I said "egg freezing." These   explanation. It seems ludicrous   the benefits program to entice
                        parties are very popular in the   that we are even talking about   those qualified applicants. You
                        more affluent areas like Manhat-  social egg freezing considering   could always apply at one of these
                        tan, Orange County, and parts of   the fact that so little is known   companies and take your chances
                        San Francisco. You'll find a group   about the whys and wherefores of   of being hired.
                        of women usually in their 30's or   conception and carrying a child to   My other solution is a bit more
                                                       full term.                     challenging, unfortunately, yet
                                                          There are two dynamics that   we could easily fix the problem
                                                       affect women’s fertility; both   with no money or false promises
                                                       transformed as a woman gets    of getting pregnant. How about
                                                       older. These dynamics are quan-  this for a new and novel idea. How
                                                       tity and quality of a woman’s egg   about society changes the archaic
                                                       supply. Men make new sperm     way of viewing working parents.
                                                       throughout their life, while wom-  You wouldn’t have to worry about
                                                       en are born with all of their eggs.   your fertility or that price tag of
                                                       Ergo, when a woman is in her 20’s   $11,000. If you found your suitable
                                                       the majority of her eggs will be   mate and wanted to start a family
                                                       normal and consist of the 23 chro-  when mother nature intended,
                                                       mosomes needed to pair with a   then voila, problem solved.
                                                       man’s sperm to make a fetus.      I am acutely aware that some-
                                                          By the time a woman reaches   day, most likely in the not too
                                                       her 30's, the dynamics shift, and   distant future, we will be able to
                                                       gradually she will have fewer eggs.   order a baby like we order a car;
                                                       Chances are these eggs will have   don’t forget the heated seats. A
                                                       a higher proportion of abnormal-  woman’s body is made to have
                                                       ities with 22 or 24 chromosomes.   children for a limited amount of
                        40's, most of them professional   By the time a woman is in her 40's,   time. That time coincides with
                        women, gathering for the same   most fertility doctors think she   physical stamina. A 20-year-old is
                        not so common cause.           will have to get donor eggs to get   meant to chase after a little one,
                           Formally referred to as "oocyte   pregnant. Egg freezing, which was   sometimes with limited sleep,
                        cryopreservation," egg freezing   once reserved for cancer patients   not a 40-year-old; male or female.
                        has risen over the last decade.   only, is becoming a solution to the   Believe or not there is something
                        The 11-fold increase in women   problem.                      to be said about the natural order
                        who choose to "bank" their eggs   Like so many things in life,   of things.
                        according to the American Society   money is a huge factor and cre-  I know, I know, there I go again
                        of Reproductive Medicine has   ates a paradox for many women.   talking about the old days. I have
                        boomed since 2009.             The cost for your average egg   news for you the old days weren't
                           This practice is still a young   freezing procedure is $11,000. The   as archaic as you may think.
                        industry and has seen very few   best eggs to freeze are those of   Things were simpler, and guess
                        numbers of successes or failures.   a 20-year-old, do you know a lot   what we didn't freeze eggs; we
                        This procedure was considered ex-  of 20-year-old women who could   scrambled them, we cooked them
                        perimental until 2012; the number   afford to freeze their eggs? This   over easy and sometimes sunny
                        of births born from frozen eggs is   practice is becoming big business   side up. They were usually served
                        small. More than 99% of American   and even Wall Street is getting   with bacon or sausage, toast, and
                        clinics now offer this procedure.   into the act and beginning to take   jam, and they cost maybe two
                        The concern among many         notice.                        bucks at any coffee shop.

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