“Post-Retrieval Perspective” (Blog #4)

I am writing this 6 days post retrieval.  I have to say, that today is the first day I’m feeling back to normal.  In this blog today, I would like to provide a look back at my process and share some advice for anyone still contemplating the egg freezing process.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about summarizing this process is:  That it really wasn’t that bad.  I realize everyone has different perceptions of doctor’s offices, getting blood drawn, different reactions to hormones and different support systems in their lives – so I know each individual will have a different perspective.  However, I am confident that the majority of women freezing their eggs are incredibly strong, remarkably capable and intelligent.  I guarantee, that if you are a woman who is considering freezing your eggs, you have to overcome a few obstacles in your life and more often than not, have decided to create your own path.  Truly, if you have gotten through career, relationship and life turmoil – then the 3 – 4 week process you dedicate to egg freezing will be a piece of cake.

Very little about egg freezing is “fun,” but nothing about it is horrible either.  It becomes part of your daily routine for 10 – 12 days.  I got to know the wonderful folks at OVA, I became friendly with my nurse who cheered me on, and I learned a heck of a lot of cool, fascinating clinical information.  To me, it was eye opening and incredibly interesting.

6 days after retrieval my hormones are finally back to normal (or so it seems) and the random tears at sappy commercials have subsided.  Thank goodness.  Today is the first day where I don’t feel unusually bloated, which is nice but it’s also hard to tell if the leftover bloat is from the retrieval or Mongolian Beef I picked up last night on the way home from work.  But I can comfortably say, give yourself a week post-retrieval (at minimum) and don’t worry about anything except recovering.

Am I happy I did this?  Absolutely.  I’ve heard the term “insurance plan” in tandem with egg freezing quite often.  And in a way, yes egg freezing is like an insurance plan that I hope to never have to use.  It makes me feel better that I have it and that it’s there.  One caveat I have to add is that although this is a form of an insurance plan – this is by no means a guarantee that you will get pregnant later on in life.  I’d hate for a women to think this is 100%, and then come to find out it is not down the road.  But for me, I felt more comfortable having frozen eggs, than not.

Are you all dying to know how many eggs I got?  I was too.  What did all of this lead to?  I ended up with 9 eggs.  When I tell people how many were retrieved, I received mix reactions.  When I read the blogs, I saw a range of numbers.  Anywhere from 4 – 30. 30 eggs!?  How did those women walk?

What’s my point in saying all of this?  My point is everyone’s number is different.  Although the number of eggs varies greatly from person to person, remember that you want good, mature, high quality eggs as well.  I learned that besides a visual grading that happens in the lab, there really is no way to 100% know if your eggs will be good quality or not.  The true test will be when you use them down the road.

Overall, I am extremely happy with my decision.  The procedure itself was relatively short (from entering to exiting – about 2 hours) and I was out the door within 45 minutes of waking up from anesthesia.  Make sure you have a family member or loved one available to drive you home – because although I could walk out the door easily, there was no way I was able to drive heavy machinery.

My last piece of advice would be – to ask as many questions to your healthcare providers as possible.  Reproductive Endocrinologists are unique, because unlike other physician specialties that cover multiple disease states, doing IVF and egg freezing is ALL reproductive endocrinologists do.  I say this because, they have seen hundreds to thousands of cycles per year – so they’ve dealt with many different situations.  They’ve seen many scenarios, so chances are whatever questions you have are not unheard of and there is an explanation and method to the madness.

It’s been a blast venting into the blog-o-sphere with you all.  I sincerely hope that sharing my experience was valuable to at least one person out there.  Best of luck with whatever decision you decide to make in your family preparing endeavors