What I Wish I Knew Before I Froze My Eggs

The moment I decided to freeze my eggs is probably not unique. I bolted out of bed — one I hadn’t shared with anyone in over a year — and had a realization: I’m 38! One’s age probably shouldn’t come as a surprise (if there’s anything you can depend on, it’s that birthdays come once a year), but there it was.

Suddenly, this thing that has always been at best a shruggy question — maybe I’ll have kids someday? — was an anxiety-churning alarm bell: Why had I waited so long? Maybe it was too late! What had I done?!? I wasn’t sure that I wanted to have a baby, but I definitely wasn’t sure that I didn’t, and now, here I was, 38.

With the requisite beating-up-of-myself out of the way (note to self and women everywhere: Let’s do less of this), I decided to call a fertility clinic the next day. Unlike most items on my to-do list, I crossed this one off fast because I had the luxury of means — and what a luxury it was: Freezing your eggs generally costs upward of $10,000, plus $500 to $,1000 a year for storage. Even if you can swing that, the variables to consider before taking the plunge can be overwhelming.

So, in the interest of helping others make a more informed decision, here’s what my experience taught me about the physical, financial, and emotional aspects of egg-freezing. I’m not a doctor or “expert,” so I can only speak from my experience, but hopefully these tips can help you ask your doctor or therapist (or whoever) the questions you didn’t know you’d have.