Dubai: More and more working women these days are warming up to the idea of freezing their eggs to postpone motherhood to a time when they are in a better state of mind to start families.
Fertility experts explain that the number of eggs in women are limited and their quality deteriorates with age. The best eggs are produced between 20 and 28 years after which their quality registers a fall making conception difficult. That is why egg freezing is catching on with most city-bred women these days. A meet organised on egg freezing last week in Dubai by the Bourn Hall Fertility Centre met with an enthusiastic response from many women.
Take the case of Ellicia Saffron, a British expatriate. Saffron felt empowered and liberated when she decided to freeze her eggs a year ago. Saffron, a businesswoman from Abu Dhabi, felt her decision gave her more control of life. “I haven’t found the right person to settle down with and would like to start a family someday. I took this step with Bourn Hall Fertility Centre last year and think it is not just an assurance, it is an insurance and so empowering.”
- Ellicia Saffron | Briton
Saffron feels that with more and more women working longer in their careers, this opportunity to have the right to choose the right time to start their families gives women the freedom they all deserve. “While we are all living and working longer, our biological clocks are not extending and, in many cases, (they are) shortening. This (choice to freeze eggs) removes the anxiety. I feel empowered.”
Saffron was initially worried that her friends and community would not support her decision but was surprised. “I feel privileged that I was able to do this. It did seem a bit Bridget Joneseque to talk about this (egg freezing), but all my friends I confided in, I found overwhelming support and was inspired to do the same. I feel this is a gift to myself.”
Blanche Usher, South African expatriate who also chose to freeze her eggs, is happy she did that. “I wish I had known this earlier when I tried unsuccessfully to conceive with IVF. My husband and I have separated and now that I have frozen my eggs, I feel relieved that I can take my time to find my life partner before I choose to become a mother,” she said.
- Blanche Usher | South African
Usher thinks the option to put off motherhood to another time without any negative consequences is the most heartening reprieve for women. “While we’re trying to navigate tricky careers and managing our money for the betterment of our futures, it’s important to remember that time and ovarian reserve wait for no one! Don’t overthink, knowledge is power, and understanding your body is critical in making educated choices for your future,” said Usher.
As a woman grows older, the quantity and quality of her eggs deplete, reducing her chances of pregnancy, and increasing the risk of chromosomal abnormalities. Egg freezing gives women the option to preserve this quality in case they want to delay motherhood but don’t want to risk complications in fertility. Moreover, egg freezing is particularly important for women who’re undergoing cancer treatment, are at risk of premature ovarian failure due to chromosomal abnormalities, early menopause, when undergoing surgery which can damage ovaries, ovarian disease or genetic mutation.
The procedure actually preserves the quality of the younger eggs. Research has also proved that babies born from embryos using frozen eggs are just as healthy and normal as those born through natural conception.
What is egg freezing?
Dr David Robertson, group medical director of the Bourn Hall Fertility Centre, explained the concept and the process adopted by their fertility centre. “Egg freezing is a relatively novel procedure that stills the ageing process of the eggs, preserving their quality and thus improving a woman’s fertility chances at a later stage of her life. This means that if a woman freezes her eggs in her late 20s, and decides to start a family in late 30s, she will have the advantage of using eggs that are 10 years younger and of better quality.”
Elaborating on the process, he said: “The procedure to store a women’s unfertilised eggs takes around two-three weeks to complete. The process involves 10-12 days of hormone injections intended to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once the eggs are mature, they will be retrieved through a procedure called Egg Collection, which happens under sedation. The eggs collected are immediately cryopreserved using vitrification (a flash freezing technique) by experienced embryologists. These eggs are then safely stored at our facility until they are ready to be used.”
The Bourn Hall clinic offers egg freezing facility for Dh25,000 for a period of five years with renewal once a year for Dh2,500. After the five-year period, the situation can be reviewed and the client is allowed to freeze for a period of another five years under similar agreement. In western countries, egg freezing is allowed for a period of 15 years at a stretch.
