Of the many decisions you have to make when freezing your eggs is if you want to freeze eggs or embryos. The answer for you may be influenced by myriad factors such as age, relationship status, or your fertility goals.
We’ve written about making this decision here. But we wanted to make it a little more personal. To shed some light on this topic, we interviewed four of our egg freezers. Two of them opted to just freeze their eggs, while the other two chose to fertilize those eggs and freeze embryos.
Through their stories and perspectives, we explore the motivations behind their decisions, the pros and cons they considered, and the impact this choice has had on their lives.
Only first names are being used to protect the privacy of these egg freezers.
Empowering the future with frozen eggs
Sarah, a successful career woman in her early 30s, decided to freeze her eggs. She emphasized the sense of empowerment and choice it provided her, stating, “I never even considered freezing embryos. I do have a boyfriend, but there’s no ring on my finger. And to be honest I have no idea if he’s the one I want as the father of my future children. Freezing my eggs allowed me to feel less pressured to rush my current relationship.”
Mia, a woman in her early 40s, carefully considered her options and decided to freeze her eggs as well. While we at Cofertility support all paths to parenthood, Mia decided against becoming a single-mom-by-choice for now. She explained, “I discussed the idea of using donor sperm with my doctor, but ultimately opted against it…While there are uncertainties, I value the ability to choose my path and have the freedom to explore different possibilities down the road.”
Embryo freezing as a family building strategy
Nazanin, in her late 20s, chose to freeze embryos with her partner. Reflecting on their decision, she shared, “Having frozen embryos gives us peace of mind and a tangible plan for our future. I think it brought us closer as a couple and gave us both a sense of security knowing that we have already taken steps towards building our family.”
Olivia, a woman in her mid thirties, shared her perspective on freezing embryos, stating, “I’m married so it was a no-brainer for us to freeze embryos. My husband and I are both running startups, so now is just not the right time for us to have kids. But we know we want them some day, and chose to freeze embryos to give us a higher chance of success when we are ready.”
Pros and Cons of Egg Freezing and Embryo Freezing:
Both egg and embryo freezing offer unique advantages and considerations. Egg freezing provides women with the most flexibility, as Sarah explained, “I valued the freedom to make choices on my own terms without the pressure of finding a partner right away.” However, when freezing eggs, there is the uncertainty of successful fertilization and embryo development.
On the other hand, embryo freezing provides people with ready-to-use embryos, increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy. Emily emphasized this advantage, saying, “Having frozen embryos gives us a higher sense of certainty and a stronger foundation for our family-building journey.” As Olivia highlighted, “Embryo freezing involves joint decisions and a deeper level of commitment.”
Summing it up
The decision to freeze eggs or embryos is one you’ll have to decide before starting your egg freezing treatment, Nazanin, Mia, and Olivia’s stories provide insight into the different motivations and considerations that led them to their chosen path.
If you feel stuck on this decision, consider talking to your therapist or others who have gone through the process (if you freeze your eggs with Cofertility, you’ll get access to our online community).
Freeze your eggs with Cofertility
Cofertility is a human-first, tech-enabled fertility ecosystem that provides people agency over if, how, and when they have babies — today or someday. We have two programs for egg freezers:
- Our Split program offers women a chance to freeze their eggs (or embryos) for free when donating half of the eggs retrieved to a family who cannot otherwise conceive. If you qualify for the program and decide to donate half of your retrieved eggs, every expense associated with the egg freezing procedure — medications, supplements, travel if necessary, insurance, and 10 years of storage — are completely free of charge. We don’t even need a payment or credit card up front, as the family you match with covers all the expenses.
- Our self-pay Keep program allows women to freeze their eggs and keep them all for their future use. Through Keep, we offer our members partnerships and discounts to lighten the financial load of egg freezing, as well as access to our member community.
In either of these options, you have the option to freeze eggs or embryos.
Ready to learn about more affordable (even free!) egg freezing with Cofertility? Fill out this quick quiz to learn about our accessible egg freezing options and see if you qualify for our programs — it only takes one minute.
