YYou won’t want to miss this conversation about the rise of egg freezing for non-medical and medical professionals. “Social” It’s part of an explosion in the use of fertility treatments in recent years, all with the promise of giving parents-to-be more options. The starting point is often that someone (mostly a wealthy, straight, white woman) uses her eggs as an insurance policy against her “biological clock,” career development, and/or the risk of not finding a partner on time. The question is whether it should be frozen or not. To start a family.
I noticed this trend and started noticing that the same details were missing one after the other. That is, the statistical chance that these frozen eggs will lead to a live birth.and Notable exceptionNow, the discussion isn’t about what happens when someone actually uses eggs to try to get pregnant, but rather about affordability and the social factors that cause so many people to choose this treatment. is focused on. Frozen eggs are marketed and talked about as “highly fertile nest eggs,” but there is growing evidence that they are less fertile. The success rate is now available.
By now you may have looked at my byline photo and wondered, “Wait, why would a bald person care about this?”
In 2013, I attended my third or fourth gender identity clinic appointment in London, with approximately six months between appointments and an initial wait of over a year. The consultant gave me an analysis of the risks and benefits of starting testosterone (T) injections. The issue of infertility came up. Have you considered fertility preservation in the form of egg freezing? shit,I thought. Was I going to do that?
“No…?” I offered.
“Yes,” was the gist of his reply. It’s very expensive and from my understanding it rarely works. ” At the time, I didn’t understand what it was that rarely worked. During the weeks I waited for T’s prescription, I asked my doctor.
I had already made peace with my infertility in exchange for a future where I lived as my authentic self. I thought that changing sex meant losing the ability to conceive. The consent form to start T spelled out obvious trade-offs, but I signed the consent form without hesitation, having spent years wondering what this meant. Additionally, the tone of the consultant’s advice was clear. If he were really a man, he wouldn’t have much interest in having children. In fact, you probably just want to whip that womb out as soon as possible, right?
At the time, although I didn’t cause him any trouble, my actual feelings as a parent were vague. I thought for sure we would have children. Maybe I still will. Adoption, adoption, and surrogacy all seemed like valid, if purely theoretical, options.
My GP was upfront about this. The NHS won’t help you freeze your eggs. And yes, at that point the chance of being born alive from frozen eggs was well below 10%. I was actually relieved that the number was so low that the question of somehow self-financing and going through the process seemed redundant.
The number less than 10% always sticks with me. Every time I read or hear a piece that doesn’t mention what happens when a frozen egg thaws and answers to questions are returned, a somersault occurs in my brain.
It is important to note that the birth rate with frozen eggs has improved. However, the rate is still lower than the rate from fresh eggs, according to the UK regulator Human Fertilization and Development Authority (HFEA). between 20% and 30%. Birth rate per treatment cycle in the UK in 2016 The percentage from frozen eggs was 18%..
Coincidentally, in 2016 I learned that testosterone was not the cause of my infertility after all. I discovered this by chance from a YouTube vlog. Over the past eight years, I have conceived and delivered two children through artificial insemination and donor sperm. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I also became interested in researching the fertility and reproductive choices of transgender people. Needless to say, very few This type of research does not include empirical evidence that testosterone affects fertility in trans men. I still don’t know why doctors say that, but I’m sure it has nothing to do with science.
Before conceiving my youngest child through IUI (intrauterine insemination), I tried IVF myself in hopes of creating multiple embryos from the last vial of donor sperm I had kept on ice. I had no fertility issues and was 33 years old at the time. I have had two thawed embryo transfers. I didn’t miscarry my first child, but I miscarried my second child at 5 weeks. It was a stark reminder that even if things look good on paper, sometimes, statistically, they don’t work most of the time. I still have some embryos frozen, so I know how it feels when that hefty annual storage fee hits your inbox with a thud.
I was relieved I see that there is a growing awareness now. How commercial fertility clinics can mislead patients about egg freezing data. As a transgender man, I was misunderstood in a different way. I have been told that I have fewer reproductive options, while others are sold on the idea that there is a surefire way to ensure more reproduction.
Thankfully, I learned my truth before it was too late. If I had followed the standard NHS route and had a hysterectomy in the belief that I was infertile due to testosterone and needed the surgery to prevent certain cancers (the claim). now debunked as false), my children would not be here today. Having experienced something like this, I think about the women who think of freezing their eggs as an investment in their future, only to realize once they’ve run out of other options that it’s not that simple. My heart hurts.
In both and all situations, health care providers have an absolute obligation to provide accurate and unbiased information. Nothing should be allowed to blur that line, whether it’s profit margins or a misguided desire to police social and gender norms. Women and transgender people of all kinds know just as well what it’s like to be misunderstood, ignored, and undermined by doctors. Our experiences may be very similar or very different. In either case, there are insights to learn and share.
When it comes to reproductive health and choice, we all need better, more ethical, more affordable, person-centered care. And we have a much better chance of getting it if we all work together.
Summarize this content to 100 words YYou won’t want to miss this conversation about the rise of egg freezing for non-medical and medical professionals. “Social” It’s part of an explosion in the use of fertility treatments in recent years, all with the promise of giving parents-to-be more options. The starting point is often that someone (mostly a wealthy, straight, white woman) uses her eggs as an insurance policy against her “biological clock,” career development, and/or the risk of not finding a partner on time. The question is whether it should be frozen or not. To start a family.I noticed this trend and started noticing that the same details were missing one after the other. That is, the statistical chance that these frozen eggs will lead to a live birth.and Notable exceptionNow, the discussion isn’t about what happens when someone actually uses eggs to try to get pregnant, but rather about affordability and the social factors that cause so many people to choose this treatment. is focused on. Frozen eggs are marketed and talked about as “highly fertile nest eggs,” but there is growing evidence that they are less fertile. The success rate is now available.By now you may have looked at my byline photo and wondered, “Wait, why would a bald person care about this?”In 2013, I attended my third or fourth gender identity clinic appointment in London, with approximately six months between appointments and an initial wait of over a year. The consultant gave me an analysis of the risks and benefits of starting testosterone (T) injections. The issue of infertility came up. Have you considered fertility preservation in the form of egg freezing? shit,I thought. Was I going to do that?”No…?” I offered.“Yes,” was the gist of his reply. It’s very expensive and from my understanding it rarely works. ” At the time, I didn’t understand what it was that rarely worked. During the weeks I waited for T’s prescription, I asked my doctor.“In 2016, the birth rate per treatment cycle with frozen eggs in the UK was 18%.” Photo: Mint Images/Getty Images/Mint Images RFI had already made peace with my infertility in exchange for a future where I lived as my authentic self. I thought that changing sex meant losing the ability to conceive. The consent form to start T spelled out obvious trade-offs, but I signed the consent form without hesitation, having spent years wondering what this meant. Additionally, the tone of the consultant’s advice was clear. If he were really a man, he wouldn’t have much interest in having children. In fact, you probably just want to whip that womb out as soon as possible, right?At the time, although I didn’t cause him any trouble, my actual feelings as a parent were vague. I thought for sure we would have children. Maybe I still will. Adoption, adoption, and surrogacy all seemed like valid, if purely theoretical, options.My GP was upfront about this. The NHS won’t help you freeze your eggs. And yes, at that point the chance of being born alive from frozen eggs was well below 10%. I was actually relieved that the number was so low that the question of somehow self-financing and going through the process seemed redundant.The number less than 10% always sticks with me. Every time I read or hear a piece that doesn’t mention what happens when a frozen egg thaws and answers to questions are returned, a somersault occurs in my brain.It is important to note that the birth rate with frozen eggs has improved. However, the rate is still lower than the rate from fresh eggs, according to the UK regulator Human Fertilization and Development Authority (HFEA). between 20% and 30%. Birth rate per treatment cycle in the UK in 2016 The percentage from frozen eggs was 18%..Coincidentally, in 2016 I learned that testosterone was not the cause of my infertility after all. I discovered this by chance from a YouTube vlog. Over the past eight years, I have conceived and delivered two children through artificial insemination and donor sperm. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I also became interested in researching the fertility and reproductive choices of transgender people. Needless to say, very few This type of research does not include empirical evidence that testosterone affects fertility in trans men. I still don’t know why doctors say that, but I’m sure it has nothing to do with science.Before conceiving my youngest child through IUI (intrauterine insemination), I tried IVF myself in hopes of creating multiple embryos from the last vial of donor sperm I had kept on ice. I had no fertility issues and was 33 years old at the time. I have had two thawed embryo transfers. I didn’t miscarry my first child, but I miscarried my second child at 5 weeks. It was a stark reminder that even if things look good on paper, sometimes, statistically, they don’t work most of the time. I still have some embryos frozen, so I know how it feels when that hefty annual storage fee hits your inbox with a thud.I was relieved I see that there is a growing awareness now. How commercial fertility clinics can mislead patients about egg freezing data. As a transgender man, I was misunderstood in a different way. I have been told that I have fewer reproductive options, while others are sold on the idea that there is a surefire way to ensure more reproduction.Thankfully, I learned my truth before it was too late. If I had followed the standard NHS route and had a hysterectomy in the belief that I was infertile due to testosterone and needed the surgery to prevent certain cancers (the claim). now debunked as false), my children would not be here today. Having experienced something like this, I think about the women who think of freezing their eggs as an investment in their future, only to realize once they’ve run out of other options that it’s not that simple. My heart hurts.In both and all situations, health care providers have an absolute obligation to provide accurate and unbiased information. Nothing should be allowed to blur that line, whether it’s profit margins or a misguided desire to police social and gender norms. Women and transgender people of all kinds know just as well what it’s like to be misunderstood, ignored, and undermined by doctors. Our experiences may be very similar or very different. In either case, there are insights to learn and share.When it comes to reproductive health and choice, we all need better, more ethical, more affordable, person-centered care. And we have a much better chance of getting it if we all work together.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/16/women-egg-freezing-doctors-transition-healthcare-trans-gender I feel that women are misunderstood about egg freezing.If I believed my doctors during my transition, my children wouldn’t be here | Freddie McConnell