I first started thinking about egg freezing when I turned 30. It was a big milestone birthday for me, however I ended up meeting someone around then and was in a long-term relationship, so it didn’t seem worthwhile to look into further. I thought we would settle down and have kids but it just didn’t work out that way in the end. The cost of freezing also put me off from it at that time. It wasn’t until I was about 37 when I was watching the news with my family did a story about egg freezing pop up. I made some general comment to my family like, ‘oh I wonder if I should see someone about that?’ To my surprise my dad said ‘of course!’ which was really great to hear as it made me feel so supported. Looking back, I am very glad I was able to talk so openly about it with my family rather than trying to hide it from them.

By the time I decided to visit the fertility clinic, I was prepared to pay the cost for freezing. My doctor ordered a number of tests for me to do including the AMH test which I had read a lot about beforehand. I thought that if it was low, I would try to find a partner to start a family with instead of freezing, and if it came back normal then I was going to do it (which it did in the end). Everything happened quite quickly after that.

The next step was to prepare my eggs for collection. I was definitely worried about the injections, particularly having to inject myself. One of my friends who also has a problem with needles suggested I numb the area with ice first which helped. I also found it much easier to do lying down and focussing on the needle rather than standing up and worrying about passing out.

I had to be quite flexible during this time to attend my blood test and ultrasound appointments every few days, as this is how they monitored how well my eggs were maturing. I think mine took a little longer than usual. I remember having my appointments and they would be like: ‘they’re still not ready’, but then finally the sonographer said I was good to go.

I felt comfortable enough to let my boss know upfront what I was doing, which made it less stressful for me as he knew the reason why I was coming into work late during that time. I was also able to give him a timeframe for when they said my egg collection was likely to happen (as they can only confirm this a few days in advance) so he was aware that I would need time off during that period.

I was first in the morning on surgery day. I was given a light sedation – the nurses called it ‘vein champagne’, which made me feel like I was a little tipsy! I was groggy after theatre but during my procedure I felt great. They collected 11 eggs which were all frozen. I was quite surprised by this because normally they collect some which aren’t at the right stage to freeze.

If you are having your eggs collected, I’d suggest wearing comfortable clothing as you may bleed after surgery and feel bloated from everything that has happened. I slept for the rest of the day after my procedure but the next day I felt like I was back to normal.

I don’t feel like this is an insurance policy for me because I know there is so much more that needs to happen after freezing my eggs to use them. They need to come out of the freezer ok, fertilise, and even if you get some embryos, they may not implant. In retrospect, I probably should have done it earlier so I’d have a better chance of success, but although there are risks, I definitely didn’t want to end up at 40 or 41 going through IVF and having difficulties collecting eggs, knowing I could have done something about it earlier.

My egg freezing journey was triggered by a relationship break up. Knowing I definitely wanted to become a mother and being unsure of what life had in store in terms of relationships, I decided to freeze my eggs. I was 37 at the time. It wasn’t a quick decision for me – I had led up to it for two years. I got to a point where I felt there were many things I couldn’t control like the outcome, but being able to make the decision to go through with it felt very empowering and actually put me in a positive frame of mind. I was also very committed to doing it on my own and using a donor, so I was probably always going to use the eggs.

My fertility specialist and team were outstanding. Not just medically, but also in terms of the counselling I received so I felt very well informed. I think no matter how great the level of care provided, it’s just a tough process to go through for anyone because there can be great outcomes and there can be disappointing outcomes. I was happy with mine - I had 30 eggs frozen from one egg freezing cycle. Perhaps if I didn’t have such a good result, I would be reflecting on it differently.

The egg stimulation and collection processes were really seamless – I didn’t struggle with them at all. Sure, I became teary but to be honest I had such a lovely time which is the weirdest thing to say. I felt it was better that I knew the outcome no matter if it was good or bad.

I met my current partner when I was 40. We have just started our first IVF cycle using my frozen eggs. Just before starting I got pregnant naturally, but I miscarried after six weeks. We never really tried properly to be honest, but I thought since I was 41 I’d rather go straight to IVF and use my frozen eggs particularly after the miscarriage. I’m hoping we will have a positive outcome, however there is a comfort in knowing that I’m using 37 year old eggs rather than 41 year old eggs. Ten eggs were defrosted, eight survived, five were fertilized and two embryos developed. One embryo was just implanted so I am waiting to hear the result. I was a little upset I didn’t have more embryos, but I was still happy with the quality of the ones I have. Out of everything I have done, waiting to hear the result is actually the worst part – It’s just awful, but at this point it’s either going to implant or it’s not.

If it doesn’t work out I’ll probably take a couple of months off and try naturally, then go again for another cycle. Having gone through one round now, it was quite taxing on the body. The drugs really affected me so I wouldn’t want to back it up with another round so soon.

If you are thinking about freezing your eggs and can afford it, I’d make it a priority. Although I’m not sure of the outcome yet, I’m just really grateful that at 41 I’m using 37 year old eggs because I didn’t meet my partner till I was 40.