The things I had to look up myself.
What I learned along the way.
Notes from my own experience, together with the references and guides I leaned on when I needed clear, dependable answers.
The reality of what to expect
My Journey
My Story To Date: In May 2015, having just turned 40 with an AMH test result of 0.1 ng/mL (very low/undetectable), and once the initial panic and…
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A Typical Round
I have found that there isn’t really such a thing as a ‘typical round’. Every round has been different for me, but I thought I would summaries here…
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Pre-Start Timeline
Before I started my first round of egg freezing there were a few key things I did to prepare me. I have outlined some of these below. 28 April 2015…
Read →Things I wish I'd known before starting
Basics about Egg Freezing
Egg Freezing follows a similar process to IVF. The first part of both Egg Freezing and IVF involves the stimulation of your ovaries using fertility…
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When To Freeze Your Eggs
In the UK eggs can usually be frozen for up to 10 years, unless there are special medical circumstances and then this can be extended. When you go…
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My Tips
Egg Freezing is hard, very hard, emotionally and physically on the individual. Egg Freezing as a single female is even harder because you don’t have…
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Medical
I am NOT a medical professional, nor do I claim to be, but one thing this journey has taught me is that the more you understand about the treatment…
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Lifestyle
I have mentioned that ‘Knowledge is Power’ and I truly believe this, but there is also the risk that you read so much that it becomes slightly…
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General
There are many things to consider before you embark on your own egg freezing journey. Some you will undoubtably have thought of already such the…
Read →Words you'll keep hearing
- Egg freezing
- Also called oocyte cryopreservation: eggs are collected after hormone stimulation and frozen for use later.
- AMH
- Anti-Müllerian hormone. A blood test often used as one indicator of how many eggs may still be left.
- Antral follicle count
- An ultrasound count of small follicles, usually read alongside AMH and age rather than on its own.
- Stimulation
- The course of hormone injections taken so that several follicles grow in one cycle instead of one.
- Trigger shot
- A final injection that matures the eggs so they can be collected a little later.
- Retrieval
- Egg collection. A short procedure, usually with sedation, in which the eggs are aspirated from the follicles.
- ICSI
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection: a single sperm is injected directly into an egg in the laboratory.
- Embryo transfer
- Placing an embryo into the uterus, either fresh or after freezing.
- Frozen embryo transfer
- A transfer using an embryo that was frozen earlier, in a cycle prepared with medication.
- Vitrification
- A fast freezing method now used for most eggs and embryos.
- OHSS
- Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: a possible reaction to the stimulation hormones, ranging from mild to serious.
- Donor eggs or sperm
- Eggs or sperm given by another person, sometimes used when a person's own are not an option.
Where to go for the real answers
- HFEA — the UK fertility regulator ↗
Impartial information about IVF, egg freezing and what treatment involves.
- HFEA — information by situation ↗
Including pages written for single women and for people preserving their fertility.
- HFEA — choose a fertility clinic ↗
Licensed UK clinics with published success rates and patient ratings.